A Soldier's Duty, (4th Labor)
by metroanime
Summary: the fourth labor, and least likely to be successful so far. rewrite taking place
1. A Soldier's Duty Chapter 1

  
FOURTH LABOR chapter 1  
  
disclaimer: this takes place after 3rd Labor, uses characters originated by Naoko Takeuchi, and if you're taking any of it seriously you've missed the point.  
  
"Keep conscience clear, then never fear." - Benjamin Franklin  
  
Asgard:  
  
"Why a memory blockage anyway?" Jared sat at the table, curious, as various figures set up their machines or enchantments or enchanted machines. One thing that appealed to him was the possibility of meeting all sorts of Beings who could be useful associates and allies for later. Such as that Tennyson fellow. He hadn't even known the beholders *had* a god who embodied the philosophy of "Live & Let Live" - but saw all sorts of possibilities if he ever ran into something like the Mulmaster Beholder Corps and had this fellow's pager number.  
  
"When Grey was ejected from that Catgirl Nerima timeline," answered Celeste, "his memories were largely suppressed by your own spell - 'Blessed Oblivion' I believe. While in the Third Labor timeline, he was merely Grey with some Frostbite mixed in. On returning to Central, all those suppressed memories came surging back. And with several lifetimes worth of identities all crashing in, it basically reduced him to catatonic status."  
  
"That's odd, it's never bothered me that much," Jared quipped. Then checked his watch, he still had 15 minutes before he had to get back to the piratical Kunos.  
  
Celeste shrugged, technical data was her forte. She didn't know the fellow that well. Professionally, yes, but not personally. "That was the data I got anyway."  
  
"Where's Ranko anyway?" Belle asked from where she was working on a completely seperate timeline.  
  
"In the Forest Of Midnight Dreams with Totoro," responded Sif offhandedly. "Looks like she's having a much better time than on that Pokemon world."  
  
Jared briefly scanned the text on the display in front of him. "So, his fourth Labor is to settle on *one* girl. His memories are pretty much screwed up and he's being put in as a reborn Nebula - the Knight Of Duty?"  
  
"Yes, it would be more confusing to put him in as one of his other memory sets, and he needs to acclimate the others gradually." Celeste spoke more firmly now, as she was on more certain footing. This had been the best compromise so far. "Nebula was the Consort of Queen Serenity, briefly, then had a brief liason with Princess Jupiter after being dismissed from Serenity's Court. Nothing heavier than cuddling. Which was still further than he got with Pluto, after Jupiter went after Narcissus and before her appointment as Guardian of the Time Gate."  
  
"As the ones pursuing him from the Evangelion timeline were merged with your own Scouts, and therefore lost, it's possible that his closeness to them - particularly that timeline's Ami, has caused further problems with his integration of his various selves." Sif pointed out, then blew foam off her ale. "To be in that sort of mutually affectionate relationship, and now not even be remembered except in a vaguely friendly manner. Not terribly good. I've known mortals to go locking themselves into caves over that sort of thing. Back in the old days at least."  
  
"Very not terribly good," pronounced Tennyson. "Understand you bipedal bigendered take that sort of thing rather badly."  
  
"So who are *these* girls?" Jared said, who'd gotten confused somewhere along the way. He wasn't changing the subject because he didn't particularly care for the reminder that he'd end up with an awful lot of the fellow's romantic subplots being snagged by him. It wasn't HIS fault that he had a Charisma of 22, was luckier, wealthier, scads more powerful and dashing, more worldly and commanding, or that Shan (and some of the others) had this weird idea that "more is better" as far as co-fiancees went. No, definitely not.  
  
"During his Second Labor, timelines were rewritten repeatedly. The end result were several non-Senshi who accompanied him during his conquering of China and extradimensional journey." Celeste popped screens to display the girls. "During his Third Labor, these girls also became dragons of various species and fell under the Rules for Aramarian Dragons. I'm not sure what they all mean, though."  
  
"That much I know," Sif said, smirking. As a Norse goddess, she could be quite earthy. "One of the things is that dragons of Aramar are *not* exactly the same as their Greyhawk or Forgotten Realms versions. They're more elementally inclined creatures, and the reference he made to you about 'not getting along' was actually a reference to *breeding cycles*. The females of the species bond to a specific male, but they're not interested in anything other than being friends until a certain cycle comes around. Then they get *very* interested and their scent triggers a similar state in the male."  
  
Jared muttered about "way too much information" and was able to divert his imagination from going there. Then an idea *did* click into his head and he made a note to research it further.  
  
"Uhm, well," Celeste was less successful in curbing her imagination, though the Richter Scale also figured in her likely consequences file, "in any case, err. The Nuku Nuku that accompanied him was actually a catgirl android built to serve as his bodyguard. The Honey Kisaragi is an associate who he rescued once, then came back later in another guise but was recognized anyway and she's been tagging along since then."  
  
"He's also picked up a Sea Elf, three drow, Morrigan Aenslad, and Queen Serenity from his First Labor," added Sif. "Though the drow are from the latest adventure and they may drop when they accept that the girl whose idea it was to rescue them was actually a guy."  
  
Jared shuddered. Drow. Ugh. Even if he knew that these particular ones weren't evil, there was an instinctive aversion to the blackskinned whitehaired betrayers of all elvenkind and horrid child-eating monsters... err those persons.   
  
*krik* *krik*  
  
Jared looked through his pockets, and discovered one of his pokeballs moving. ~What the heck? How did it get filled? WHEN did it get filled?~ Confident in his ability to handle anything, particularly with the goddesses Celeste and Sif, and the gods Apollo and Tennyson present, Jared thumbed the release.  
  
*SHOOM!*  
  
"For justice and friendship!  
For truth and love!  
Comes forth the pokegirl in training!  
Let evil hearts quake in fear!  
Sailor Pocky is here!  
Yayyyyyy!"  
  
Everyone blinked at the vision of an eight year old half-drow girl in a handstitched "Sailor Venus" costume. Currently posing on the table.  
  
Jared groaned. She was obviously one of those girls from that Sabre Marionette world, one of Edema's cloned "daughters" that had been sneaking late night viewings of that hentai pokemon derivative on the television there. AND had watched some of Sakyo's left-behind tapes dealing with the Sailor Moon series. "Oh dear."  
  
Celeste struggled for a few minutes before she started snickering.  
  
Sif merely clapped her hands. "Well now, *this* I can genuinely say I haven't seen before."~A drow paladin-in-training? Very unusual. A fangirl drow, not terribly common. A drow fangirl paladin? But then Grey was always a 'weirdness magnet'.~  
  
Jared mumbled that he didn't see anything. He didn't hear anything. Because this could very obviously *not* be happening.  
  
With the girl further declaring her desire to champion the causes of good, scour evil from the universe, and "fight in the name of truth, love, and the true spirit of chocolate!" nobody was paying that much attention to the monitors, or those inserted into the Labor.  
  
Or that it had quietly started.  
  
------------  
  
Azabu Juuban, Tokyo, Japan:  
March, 1994:  
  
"Oh, dear, would you stay a moment?"  
  
Ami stopped, hearing a tone in her mother's voice she never had before. Also her mother looked nervous, which was almost unheard of. "Mother?"  
  
Dr Mizuno seemed to consider the soup on the stove as if expecting to see some sort of answer in its depths.  
  
Ami was about to ask again when her mother finally spoke.  
  
"You've studied the Reconstruction, of course."  
  
Ami nodded, having no clue where this was going now. The decade following WWII where Japan rebuilt itself. Some would also say reinvented.  
  
"During the Reconstruction, your grandfather met and befriended an American serviceman that was here."  
  
Ami nodded again. It certainly wasn't unheard of. Her mind raced ahead. No doubt there was some continuation of that friendship, and they'd have visitors soon. Well, English wasn't Ami's strong suit and maybe this would help.  
  
"This arrived yesterday," Doctor Mizuno pulled a letter from her apron pocket and placed it on the cabinet.  
  
Ami tried to ignore the way a little alarm bell started ringing in her head. She read the first page once, frowning at some of the unfamiliar words, then read the second letter stapled to the first. It was a photocopy of a much older letter, one written in 1953. As this was written in Japanese, Ami had no trouble reading it from *that* quarter.  
  
"Is... Is this correct?" Ami asked in a tiny voice.  
  
"I recognize the handwriting. That is indeed my father's handwriting." The pediatrician shook her head. "He never told me why he disapproved of my first marriage. Now I know why."  
  
Ami twitched a little as she turned that one over, and scanned the quick and uncertain language of the third letter. Yes, that was definitely the case. Her grandfather went on for some time about his disappointment that his daughter hadn't even finished medical school before taking up with a vagabond artist. "An arranged marriage?! ME?!"  
  
"Well, you still dream of being a doctor yourself. Trust me, the vast majority of Japanese men might marry a Doctor, but would expect you to retire to take care of the home." A sidelong glance. "I won't force you, but according to that, I was able to attend medical school largely through the assistance of this American friend of my father."  
  
Ami blinked again, otherwise staring at the old document. Why did life have to be so complicated? Fighting the Dark Kingdom, maintaining her GPA, now an arranged marriage between families!  
  
Waitaminute, what if he were cute? She'd have Makoto and Minako all over HER fiance!   
  
Ami sighed and repeated her earlier thought about life's complications.  
  
Kumori Mizuno, seeing that her daughter hadn't rejected it, crossed her fingers and made a phone call to confirm the meeting.  
  
------  
  
A week went by with little accomplishment.   
  
News that there would soon be an exchange student attending, and one who had little learning in Japanese, leaked among the students from someone within the administration.  
  
There were several reactions to the thought of a gaijin invading their school. According to the school paper: 10% regarded this as something to seriously disturb the "wa" of the school, 5% regarded this as evidence of the Apocalypse, 15% described it as neat, 30% as hopes that s/he would be cool looking, and 40% wondered if tutoring the gaijin in Japanese would be considered for extra credit in English.   
  
Ami, keeping her nose in a series of books during the rampant speculation, declined comment. Though she *did* manage to overhear a discussion of "what American boys did to poor Japanese girls when they got them alone" and vowed to Shabon Spray anyone who tried to do *that* on a first date. Even on the second date. Well, maybe if he was cute... (blush, fidget, twitch)  
  
Usagi, and Minako sensed *something* was up with Ami, but quickly came to the conclusion that (considering that it *was* Ami) this had something to do with studying or exams. And rather than trigger a study session dealing with subjects they didn't have to deal with otherwise they further independently came to the same realization: it was best not to say anything.  
  
Rei had a few odd dreams, dealing with some Disarmament Era policeman with a chain style weapon. And he did... and then... and then Rei got up to get a cold shower and gripe about her hentai imagination getting out of control lately while she hung her bedding out to dry. She was *not* into those things. Nope. Uh uh. And thanked the kami that Usagi had never found her stash of *those* magazines.  
  
-------  
  
If he had been Ranma Saotome, he would never admit fear. If he had been the Pheonix Mage, he'd have strode off the plane with confidence and a smile on his lips, absolutely certain that he'd come out victorious no matter the opponent.  
  
As it was a fellow named Grey Shard, a student in Junior High with halfway decent grades, going into a land where he barely spoke enough of the language to ask where's the bathroom and didn't know anybody OR the local customs that well, and was supposed to meet his fiancee for the first time, he didn't have any trouble with the concept. FEAR - a feeling of apprehension and nervousness, often marked by a concern for one's physical, emotional, or mental safety. F-E-A-R. Fear.  
  
He'd read all the way over from LA, where he'd caught a flight via Singapore Airlines. Customs, trying to brush on catch phrases and a language that seemed designed to confound outsiders, and especially trying to figure out what the heck he'd gotten into.  
  
Apparently the Japanese took personal honor seriously and family honor to be a matter beyond life and death.   
  
The things he could do wrong seemed infinite, what he had a reasonable chance of getting right - infinitesimal. The path before him - hanging suspended by a thread over a minefield.  
  
The only comfort he could think of was that he wasn't likely to cause an international incident and that his record of striking out with the "fair sex" was likely to remain unbroken. Not very great comforts at all. In fact, that last one was something he'd like to see proven wrong.  
  
The long flight had done little to settle his nerves, and he'd found that packing a supply of Pepto-Bismol pills in his carry-on luggage had proven to be one of his best ideas so far. He was confused, he was afraid, he just *knew* that he'd say or do something wrong and destroy this girl's family honor. Mizuno-san. He didn't even have a first name, just a last.  
  
His parents had apparently been quite amused by the whole thing. His father thought the experience might "toughen him up" while his mother was more interested in seeing him find a nice girl.  
  
What if it turned out to be a guy? Or a crossdresser? Or some violent thug like Melanie? Or... no. The phone conversation his mother had had with Mrs Mizuno hadn't indicated anything like that. Surely it would have come up.  
  
Grey cut that off with an effort. The problem was that his imagination was sufficiently fertile that he could see *lots* of possibilities for disaster. He tried to focus on what could be *right* with this encounter. She could be cute. She could make allowances for his scattershot Japanese, after all it wasn't like Spanish where it was damn near required in the American Southwest. Maybe they had something in common *despite* the language barrier and the racial barrier and the huge gulf that seperated man and woman? And maybe he'd hit the lottery, win ten million dollars, and be able to attend Wood's Hole Oceanographic Institute.  
  
Yeah, maybe.  
  
He exited the plane and went through the Customs line without much problem. When they'd asked him if he had anything to declare, he'd almost said yes, he would declare he needed more time to figure out the language. Say a couple of years and not being self-taught.  
  
The Security Guards gave him a once over. Fifteen year old boy, looks scared half-to-death, might be an international criminal mastermind on his way to a major drug deal. Or one of those weirdos that kept popping up in some town called Juuban, at least according to "News Of The Weird." Right.   
  
Grey continued on, noting the crowd of people meeting other people. Nope. No signs with his name on them. There was one girl about his own age, maybe a little older, but she was holding a sign with that katakana stuff on it. Or was that Hiragana? Too bad, she was really cute. His type too. Girls with glasses, especially ones that had the right kind to frame their eyes - like this one did. Wow. There was something else about her that just... wow. Not her though, he'd tried to make eye contact and she hadn't returned the gesture.  
  
Maybe if he was lucky the girl he was supposedly engaged to would turn out to be that cute. And maybe NASA would get a budget and go back to the moon and set up a permanent colony so that the US would have something that we could actually brag about.  
  
Grey walked past the crowd, still looking and carrying his bags. Nobody. Well, this certainly fit the way the rest of his life went. "'She'll meet you at the airport.' Here's another mess my parents have gotten me into. i couldn't get a break even outside the country. Rrrrrr."  
  
---------  
  
Ami waited until the crowd finished debarking, then glanced up at the monitor. Yes, this was the right flight. A quick question to one of the attendents indicated that no one was still on board.  
  
Ami frowned ever so slightly. Had he come by? Finally she asked one of the attendents to check the passenger manifest. Yes, he'd been here. He debarked normally, passed through customs.  
  
And had managed to get lost somehow apparently.  
  
The kindly attendent looked over the sixteen year old and noticed something. "Uhm, Miss, does this Americajin know Japanese?"  
  
Ami blinked. "Uhm, maybe not."  
  
"Then why did you write your sign in Japanese?"  
  
Ami stopped, blinked, and turned her sign over. It was a literal translation of his name in kanji with the katakana pronunciation below it. "Oh dear."  
  
"Well, if it's any consolation, he probably hasn't gone too far." The flight attendent favored Ami with a smile. "Probably still looking around the airport." ~Providing he doesn't think you stood him up, in which case he's probably at the bar.~  
  
Ami winced. "Well, thank you very much, you've been quite helpful."  
  
----------  
  
Grey used his precious VISA (precious because it had taken him a long time to get it) to rent a "capsule hotel" and was glad he wasn't claustrophobic. At least not much. The hotel "room" bore a rather distressing resemblence to a coffin. Albeit a coffin with a TV built into a wall. Or a torpedo tube, he supposed.  
  
Tomorrow promised to be a difficult day. He had their address. Now all he had to do was navigate the Tokyo subway system, find a station relatively close to the address on this envelope, then walk the rest of the way. Carrying three suitcases. One of which was full of gifts because it was apparently a big no-no to show up at a friend's house without a gift.  
  
Well, at least it was April. The night was cold but it'd be warm tomorrow if he'd figured out this Celsius stuff.  
  
Though he'd have to see if he could get a job here it looked. He was supposed to be here at least six months, and he'd had to quit his job (part time Stocker/Sales) at Waldenbook's.  
  
Pity. He'd really miss that employee discount.  
  
----------  
  
Elsewhere:   
1,400 km beneath the surface of Terra Two:  
  
Shan floated among the plasma currents.  
  
Sakyo had turned it up among Lorelei's memories. A current among the plasma fields, that built up in a loop over 80,000 years. When it reached a bursting point, almost all life on Terra Two would be exterminated.   
  
Sakyo had uploaded the relevant files to Shan and had spoken to Makoto Jupiter.  
  
The Sailorjin had opened the path.  
  
Shan had then spent some time absorbing plasma until she had developed the counter.  
  
Between the three of them, saving the planet had been easy.  
  
Of course, this was all getting away from the task that they had been set on. Necessary but still a diversion.  
  
Shan comforted herself with the thought that while she was carving out channels that would safely allow the plasma to dissipate, Sakyo was busy carrying out her Master's plans.  
  
----------  
  
Ami Mizuno was NOT the most self-confident or extroverted girl in the prefecture of Tokyo known as Azabu Juuban. She might well have helped her friends to save the world from vampiric entities, be able to transform into a magical princess from an ancient kingdom, and be the fabled genius girl who remained at the prestigious top of the test scores and cram school rankings.  
  
All this was quite true about the short haired girl in the glasses. Sometimes.  
  
When facing energy leeching monsters from some Dark Kingdom, there was not a hint of back-down in her. Swarm of giant rats? No problem! Part of this was because she had come to regard her identity as Sailor Mercury as being seperate from herself. Sailor Mercury was the fearless warrior of love and justice. It was her way of coping with the role despite having more than the usual share of shyness common to Japanese schoolgirls. Ami Mizuno would have been embarassed to appear in public in that fuku. It wasn't a problem for Sailor Mercury.  
  
Ami Mizuno, on the other hand, frightened and embarassed easily, did NOT have that much confidence in her looks or abilities outside the classroom, and would have run shrieking away from giant rats. At least until she could transform.  
  
Telling her mother that she'd lost her fiance because she'd made a simple mistake (through nervousness she now suspected) in making up a sign. Well, Ami found herself wishing for a Dark Kingdom attack or the aforementioned swarm of giant rats. ANYTHING to take the attention off of her.  
  
"You didn't?! You did? Oh dear," Doctor Mizuno said and covered her eyes with one hand. It had been a long shift at the hospital again. "Well, I suppose you left word at the station?"  
  
Ami nodded once. It was HER fault that some stranger was in a strange land. HER fault he was lost and alone and not knowing where to turn. HER fault. Not the most auspicious of beginnings to what might (or might not) be a relationship.  
  
"Well, we'll have to wait until we hear something. I'll call his mother. Hopefully he'll call home and we can arrange for you to find him. Now get some sleep, honey. Tomorrow's a school day." Doctor Mizuno glanced at the clock. "Okay, *today* is a school day."  
  
----------  
  
Slogging through the rain, glad that at least he'd Scotch-guarded the suitcases, Grey felt absolutely miserable. He was wet, he was cold (it turned out that 16 degrees Celsius was *not* anywhere near the mid 80s Farenheit), he was hungry, he was tired, he was also sick and tired of the natives moving to get as far away from him as possible.  
  
He was also, after getting directions from someone who thought they could speak "Engrish" better than they apparently could, sitting on a bench waiting for the next train in some place called Yokosuka. He wasn't sure, but he was reasonably sure that he wasn't even in Tokyo anymore.  
  
As for what station he was at, he had no idea. It was a wooden station with holes in the roof. Instead of the little gadgets where you bought a ticket, he'd found some old guy behind a booth. When he'd gotten the guy to wake up, he'd tried repeating "Juuban" repeatedly and pointing to the tracks. He thought the guy had finally gotten the right idea.   
  
He hoped, anyway.  
  
------------  
  
Rei startled awake, realizing that the odd noise had been Usagi's snoring, but that word seemed to echo in her head. "Nebula?"  
  
"Nebula?" Ami repeated. ~A large cloud of gas (and other matter) which gives birth to stars?~  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"I just had the oddest dream," Rei began. "And a phrase - 'Nebula returns.'"  
  
"I had an odd dream too," Usagi cut in. "I had eaten too much ice cream when..."  
  
Usagi was interrupted as suddenly Sailor Pluto was standing in the room leaning over Rei. This especially interrupted Usagi because the future moon princess had been knocked sprawling and was currently underfoot.   
  
"AAAAAA!" This was the general consensus reached by three of the girls present at suddenly someone just appearing like that. Usagi merely groaned.  
  
"Nebula?! He's back! Where? When?"  
  
"Uhm, she might answer better if you put her down," suggested Usagi. "And could you please stop standing on me?"  
  
Rei hesitated, taken aback by the intense look in Sailor Pluto's eyes. "I don't know. There was a wind, and three lights combining into one. Then a chain came spinning in to surround us, only it was broken by the wind, and then the statues of us got broken, and..."  
  
"A chain? Sort of a grey color?"   
  
Rei nodded, seeing an intensity about Sailor Pluto that hadn't been present when their paths had crossed previously.  
  
"Nebula. Finally." Sailor Pluto seemed to relax for a moment, then straightened and looked directly at Makoto. "He's mine!"  
  
Makoto blinked, unsure of why she wanted to argue the point.  
  
Artemis cleared his throat, seeing *Pluto* distraught was, well, a bit strange. Best to guide the conversation to where everyone knew her opinion. "So what about the effect on Crystal Tokyo?"  
  
"SCREW CRYSTAL TOKYO!"  
  
The assembled Senshi had gone from staring to outright boggling at this point. Luna had turned nearly as white as Artemis.  
  
"Do you think I wanted this damn job? Guard the Time Gate and let nobody near it? Well, when the job was given me the *last* time I had to turn away my lover and watch him and everyone I cared about *die!* And it's not like anybody *uses* the damn thing anyway! The Dead Moon, Esmeraude, even that meddling Doctor fellow! They *all* time travel and not one of them uses the gate! I am sick and tired of being the lonely Guardian of Time! My boyfriend from the Silver Millenium is back and I AM NOT SITTING BACK AND WATCHING HIM DIE AGAIN!"  
  
This last had been shouted into Luna's face when Luna had tried to interrupt.  
  
Setsuna Meiou vanished. Everyone was silent and continued staring for awhile. Luna's feet were sticking stiff and straight up from the depths of the pillow where she had landed.  
  
"Uhm... right," said Rei beginning to recover. ~Why do I get the feeling the other shoe's about to drop.~  
  
Minako reached out with one finger and pushed Artemis over. He thunked against the floor as if made of wood.  
  
"I wonder if he looks like my sempai," wondered Makoto aloud. ~Nebula. That name means something. But what?~  
  
Luna recovered with a blink. "It must be some new plot against the world. Mind control. Yeah. That's it. We'll just have to break the mind control and destroy this fellow."  
  
Artemis frowned, which was difficult for a cat but he pulled it off. "There was something about Nebula. I can almost remember. Something bad. Some sort of scandal."  
  
"Uh huh," Minako had her doubts but it sounded like everyone else had seized on the explanation as the one that made the most sense.  
  
Ami nodded and nervously asked what she'd been hesitant to bring up since the study session began. "Uhm, Rei. Can I ask you about something else?"  
  
Rei blinked at both the novelty of Ami asking her a question during a study session, as well as the not so smooth change of subject.  
  
"Uhm, I," Ami began drawing in on herself, blushing furiously. Admitting her mistake and this strange situation was drawing more attention to her than she was comfortable with. She was sure they'd make more of this then there actually was. "I... my family... old agreement... then at the airport... I... well... in a hurry... so... and then... so I don't know where..."  
  
Everyone leaned closer, trying to make out the mumbling, especially with Ami now trying to curl up in severe embarassment.  
  
"So, err, I kind of lost my fiance."  
  
*THWAM!* There was a simultaneous facefault and this mystery of some Dark Kingdom type was thrown aside as irrelevant. Well, to teenage girls, it was. The two mooncats merely exchanged a helpless glance. They knew from experience that they'd have to wait until the girls had gotten this out of their system before they could concentrate on anything else.  
  
"FIANCE!" Rei, Usagi, Makoto, and Minako yelped simultaneously before they all started asking questions and trying to grill Ami on this development.  
  
"...I'm so sorry..." Ami said, forehead pressed against the tabletop.  
  
Minako hushed everyone. "You wanted Rei to do a fire reading?"  
  
Ami nodded.  
  
Another round of incomprehensible babbling as everyone tried to ask questions at once. This time Rei managed to cut everyone off. "What can you tell me about him? What's his name?"  
  
"His name's Shard-san, he's American, his grandfather knew my grandfather, and that's about it."  
  
"And you made a mistake in meeting him at the airport and now he's wandering around lost somewhere?" Usagi wanted to make sure about this. It sounded like Ami had pulled an Usagi.  
  
Rei thought the same thing and nervously hoped it wasn't contagious.  
  
----------  
  
Rei settled herself before the sacred fire, beginning the ritual of a fire reading. It hadn't taken long for the study session to completely collapse after Ami's little bombshell.  
  
Twice she tried to get a glimpse of the feelings of foreboding. This new enemy, the three points of light becoming one that seperated again and vanished, the Silence. Flickers of barely recognizable images, including a tree outside, but nothing else.  
  
Tired, she nonetheless tried to get Ami's fiance. That should be simpler right?  
  
----------  
  
"Princess Mars?"   
  
Rei turned in shock, seeing a palace grounds with a red sky above. The palace had a vaguely Arabic-East Indian look to it. Sort of. "What?!"  
  
An officer of some kind, one with far less medals and ribbons on his chest than the Princess of Mars was used to seeing, saluted her briefly and with a certain rote fashion to it.  
  
Glancing down, Rei noticed she was wearing a fancy gown embroidered with red. There was a kind of curious dual awareness. As if she was seeing all this through the eyes of her previous incarnation and just along for the ride.  
  
"Princess, I am First Lieutenant Basalt, Marines Division 459. Reporting as required by protocols to a member of the court."  
  
Rei was about to say something nasty, why bother HER over some minor requirement that she'd never heard of before?  
  
Seeing her expression, the soldier raised an eyebrow. "I am a Class 4 Esper and Special Agent. It is required by Imperium Law that I report my whereabouts to the Court I'm passing through unless I'm currently on a mission."  
  
Rei nodded in irritation. She knew that. Class Four? This guy didn't look that special. That was almost on a level with the Knights. It meant he could tap the manna currents of the Crystal. Nothing near what SHE could, of course. WAY short of Bennu's level. This guy was short and lean, not especially good looking, but had a toughened look about him. Like most Marines, if he had an ounce of fat on his body it was hiding. "Fine, fine, you've done so. Go ahead."  
  
A slight smirk appeared on the soldier's face. "You know if you're going to pursue Bennu, you ought to just go ahead and do it."  
  
"WHAT?! Howcouldyou?! I'mnot..." Rei wasn't prepared for the flood of embarrasment and confusion.  
  
"You've been staring at him every time you're not glaring at me, Princess. It's a crowded playing field, but he hasn't made a choice yet." The soldier shrugged and looked off. "He's got his Pheonix Tower on Deimos, that's definitely within your sphere of influence. Maybe you should go visit, just officially keeping an eye on a powerful mage in your backyard of course."  
  
Rei stared at the dashing figure that *had* to be the mage in question. She felt her heart speed up even though he was halfway across the courtyard. "Don't be ridiculous. There's no reason for ME to go visit HIM. If I wanted an audience with Lord Bennu, I would summon him to MY presence. I'm the Princess after all, he's merely a nobleman - and out of favor with the Court at that."  
  
Shaking his head, the soldier left without another word.  
  
----------  
  
Rei shook her head. "What the blazes was THAT?!"   
  
~Princess Mars? Basalt? Bennu?~ She'd rarely gotten as cohesive a section of her previous life as that had been. On a couple of occasions, she had met her previous incarnation. ~My goodness, I could make out the sand clinging to that soldier's uniform. For that level of detail, this must be terribly important.~  
  
Splashing water on her face to wash sweat and soot off, Rei considered it. This had come up with trying to find Ami's lost fiance. So this tied in somehow.  
  
Rei's head snapped up, sending a trail of water across the sink. What if Ami's fiance was BENNU?! Someone she had pursued in a previous life? And Sailor Pluto had this bit about some guy named Nebula, so there might be a connection.  
  
But what?  
  
----------  
  
Floating in midair, a redhaired witch considered. There was a feeling, that perhaps this girl with the uncanny knack with fire readings was not the best candidate to start with. Perhaps another target would be better to start off with for a "pure heart" that could produce a Talisman.  
  
No, despite the feeling that events were shifting and changing, Kaolinite settled for the priestess. Under her direction the daimon egg shifted and settled to the trunk of a tree, then merged with its akashic pattern. The potential would grow until it reached a critical mass, sparked by proximity to its prey, and then...  
  
and then the game would be afoot.  
  
Kaolinite smiled, certain that even if the priestess did not have a Talisman, that this first stirring of the waters would at least reveal what obstacles lay hidden to the Professor's plan.  
  
---------  
  
Grey continued to grumble, lugging his suitcases along, when he felt *something.*  
  
Despite a lackluster attendence at school through frequent illness, he'd managed some decent grades. Mainly because of a "cheat" - he got flashes of things before they happened. Not quite precognition, but more than intuition.   
  
This felt *bad*. Wrong. Twisted. It also had a direction. Grey's eyes looked up the stairs. That symbol on the gate was "fire" or "hi". The rest of it he wasn't sure about, having only a few simple kanji memorized at this point.  
  
Frowning, Grey decided to investigate. If nothing else, maybe they had directions.  
  
"MIKUJI!"  
  
"Na- Nana no?"  
  
Out came the (slightly damp) Japanese English dictionary. Unsurprisingly, there was no listing for "Mikuji". ~Watch it mean poison gas or something...~  
  
Coming up to the top of the stairs, there was a woman(?) floating in midair, menacing one of those shrine maidens. Cute one too. More rapidfire Japanese, too fast for him to even make out a vague idea of what they were saying.  
  
After a quick moment to look for the camera crew, and seeing the girl about to flee, Grey decided to put his year of Tae Kwon Do to use by using a flying kick. He'd wonder about the weirdness factor later.  
  
He was proud of it, for a brief moment, he was sure he'd gotten it off perfectly. It slammed into the weird floating girl's head on the downward part of the arc, catching her right above one ear.  
  
"DON'T INTERFERE!" *WHAM!*  
  
Landing on pavement, Grey considered his options. He was fairly scraped up from his landing, he was still damp from a brief downpour this morning, he was waiting for all those little squiggly points of light to stop moving around, and the robot(?) had backhanded him rather handily. It felt like the time he'd gotten kicked by a horse. He couldn't call a cop, for the very simple reason that he didn't know how to say "can you help, there's a girl being attacked by some reject from a cheesy B-horror flick over at that Shrine over there" in Japanese. He got enough giggles and blank stares from "Maigo no watashi, doko ni jusho mieru?"   
  
Getting up brought all the itty bitty floating sparks of light back. "Ouchie." Maybe he ought to stay right where he was.  
  
A scream cancelled that notion. He couldn't very well sit here, feeling nauseous and useless, if some girl was being attacked, could he?  
  
---------  
  
Rei wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Well, not very often anyway.  
  
Some gaijin had shown up and tried to take the youma on. Judging from the sounds, he had been fairly quickly flattened. Finding a moment, Rei took out her henshin pen and raised it up. "MARS STAR POWER! MAKE"   
  
*WHAM!*   
  
Rei heard the transformation pen land on the ground as her arms were pinned to the wall by the youma, who then floated back and gave a typical youma speech.  
  
"Your fortune today is - bad luck!"  
  
Then an obvious Dark Kingdom General type floated down. Something about her immediately reminded Rei of Esmeraude. Hopefully she didn't have that same annoying laugh. "Daimon Mikuji. This girl might have a Talisman in her pure heart. Get her pure heart!"  
  
"Mikuji," responded Mikuji, demonstrating that she might be a pokemon as she had a tendency to say her name frequently for no apparent reason.  
  
"Daimon?" Rei repeated. Looked like a youma, talked like a youma, therefore it was a youma. Unless it was a cardian. And a pure heart? If they'd seen her magazine stash, they'd likely not be targetting her.  
  
Then a line of agony as a beam from the daimon's breastbone made contact with her own chest.  
  
Rei lost track of most of the rest of the dialogue, twisting in pain from the beam. This hurt even worse than the usual energy-sucking attacks. Another weird thought was how this sort of lifestyle had gotten to the point where some little corner of her mind could calmly compare the attacks while it was going on.  
  
The pain lessened and she gasped for breath, that corner of her mind now noticing that Sailor Moon had arrived, followed by the other Senshi, and all of them were really getting beaten on.  
  
"Anyone else?!" The Daimon snarled and turned back to finish Rei off.  
  
Rei's eyes went wide as she saw a chain loop in from somewhere.  
  
----------  
  
Mikuji dealt with the interference. First with the one with the highest power signature. Then with the humans, then having to turn her attentions to the one calling herself Sailor Moon again AND some guy, then with some stupid cats.  
  
"Anyone else?!" Mikuji snarled, being thoroughly annoyed at this point. "Now I can get the pure heart without interference."  
  
"Sounds like my cue." *THWAM!* *THWAM!*  
  
Mikuji staggered back, noting an energy disruption field similar to that thrown rose from earlier. This one from - thrown chess pieces?!  
  
From the woods it struck like a serpent. A dull grey chain, with a moon crescent blade on the end. It struck at Mikuji's neck, HARD. If she had been human, the strike would have seperated the Daimon's head from her body and likely her life. As it was, there was a wooden thunk and the retracting chain left a mark like an open wound on the magically enhanced wood.  
  
*THWAM!*THWAM!*THWAM!*  
  
Three more chesspieces (knights, Ami would notice) slammed precisely into bonds as the soldier ran into the clearing. The chain moved again, an arrowhead-shaped end rearing up like a cobra and pointing towards Mikuji.  
  
Mikuji snarled as she blocked three more rapid attacks. No, they weren't attacks. This fellow was testing her defenses. He was different from the girl or the previous guy. Weaker. Also no speeches, just a nearly constant set of strikes as he tried to find a weak point. "Mi KU JI! Again- BLACK TRIANGLE ATTACK!"  
  
The guy with the chain tried to block, only to be thrown entirely from the clearing.  
  
"Jupiter -"  
  
"Venus -"  
  
"Mercury -"  
  
" - Star Power. Make up!"  
  
Mikuji turned as three more power signatures blossomed. "You, annoying, pathetic... HUMANS!"  
  
--------  
  
Nebula noticed the three transform and attack, though his attention was elsewhere. He also made a note to bring up that they were NOT using any sort of tactics. Merely unleashing medium powered attacks.  
  
The arrowhead reared up again, this time darting around as if testing the air. Nebula concentrated on his link with the Chain Of Duty. Not there. Not there. Not there. Not there.  
  
It had been a hope, that the boss was still in the area. ~Kill the general and the troops are easier.~ He was a soldier, he knew to go after the head of the beast when possible. As that did not appear to be possible now, he re-entered the fray, sending a chesspiece towards one of the bonds holding the primary victim.  
  
"Jupiter, link with me - Storm Chain attack!"  
  
The ponytailed girl blinked. "WHAT?!"  
  
Grey sent the bladed end of the again, having it strike out and retract like a whip. "Don't you remember? Link your attack with mine. CRESCENT CUTTER!"  
  
"...how do I do that..." Jupiter mumbled. There was something familiar about this guy in the vaguely "Three Musketeers" outfit. Something that caused some part of her to want to laugh and cry and sing all at the same time.  
  
"Again?! VERY BAD LUCK FOR YOU!" Mikuji turned her attacks briefly towards the single male in the battle, using her binding attack to wrap him up. Then one after the other of the girls.  
  
Seeing that Jupiter had landed nearby, Nebula couldn't resist. "Just great. I realize you broke up with me so you could go chasing after Narcissus, but did you have to forget my lessons on tactics and combining attacks, PRINCESS?"  
  
Jupiter blinked at the bitterness in that voice. And a feeling of shame? The rest of her, the part that was Makoto Kino, was merely confused. The part of her that she'd come to accept as Princess Jupiter, her previous life, wanted to cry. Motion caught her eyes and she realized that the strangely familiar man was talking to cover his using that chain of his to try and break the wooden ties holding him in place.  
  
"You and me, Jupiter, I thought we had something. Oh, I'll admit you ogling all the better looking members of the Moon Court bothered me. As long as you kept it to looking it was something I could deal with. I knew after the Queen dismissed me that I wasn't what you or the others could have considered 'prime materia' - and you have no idea how much it hurt when you'd talk about how fine some *other* guy was," the man's voice went beyond bitter now. "But when you dumped me to chase after Narcissus, extolling that courtier's good qualities..."  
  
Mercury and Venus listened also watching the chain move and try to break the wooden ties.  
  
"ANNOYING!" Mikuji noticed too and proceeded to add enough bindings to form a coccoon around the male.  
  
--------  
  
Mars twitched, reaching down with the freed arm. She could *almost* reach the henshin pen, if she could, she was sure that she could transform to Sailor Mars. Just a little further.  
  
"MIKUJI!" Again the beam struck Rei's chest. This time there was no one to step forward, though the Daimon stopped three times as if expecting yet another interruption at any point.  
  
"In a heart so many wanted to protect, there MUST be a Talisman," declared Mikuji as she held out a hand to pluck the crystalline form from the air.  
  
*CRASH!* A ball of yellow energy slammed into Mikuji, causing her to miss the heart. "WHAT?!"  
  
*SMASH!* A ball of blue energy struck immediately thereafter, overwhelming the daimon's defenses.  
  
"Anything?" asked a girl in shadows as the bonds around the captured girls (and two guys) faded and vanished with Mikuji's death.  
  
"It's not a Talisman," responded the girl holding the crystalline shape that emerged from Rei's chest. She prepared to hoist it and toss it back to where it had come when she noticed the group below.  
  
---------  
  
Ignoring the girls gathered around their fallen friend, Nebula held his chain and concentrated again. The arrowhead end moved and twitched, shifting as it sought. Not there. Not there. There!  
  
Nebula ran, ignoring the called question. He found the crystal easily enough, as if it had been abandoned. He looked over the area, determined two people had been here, and planned a return for further investigation.  
  
When he returned, he shouldered past the girls to place the crystal near the girl's chest. It merged without a mark. He backed away from the crying girls and their moment of tenderness, preparing to turn away.  
  
"Excuse me," said Jupiter, breaking away for a moment. "Who are you, and how do I know you?"  
  
The soldier sighed and gave her a hurt look. "You don't remember, Princess? i am, or was, Nebula, Knight of Duty."  
  
There was mass blinking. "You?!"  
  
"QUICK, KILL HIM NOW!" Everyone stared at Luna as she yelled. "I remember, he was banned from the Court by Queen Serenity!"  
  
"i am *so* out of here," Nebula said, fading out.  
  
"SEE! He fled! He's going to go doing something else!" Luna's fur was sticking straight up along her back. "I just *know* he's behind this whole thing!"  
  
Rei cracked her eyes open to look up at Usagi. "Better switch Luna to decaff, Usagi."  
  
"Huh?!" Usagi responded, not understanding.  
  
---------  
  
Setsuna fretted and paced before the Gate Of Time.  
  
She hadn't foreseen this but the moment she'd caught an errant comment from Rei had been ready to latch on with both hands and not let go for ANYTHING.   
  
Then she'd found where her boyfriend had turned up and had just stumbled to a halt.  
  
Her current incarnation was 24 years old, at least in the understanding of the locals of biological age. She was a bit older than that chronologically, of course.   
  
She was the lonely guardian of time who had been born during the Silver Millenium and had guarded it for a LOT longer than a thousand years. 10,000 years had passed. She had gone from being apparently 18 to apparently 24. Yes, she had aged well.  
  
Her boyfriend, unfortunately, had not survived the fall of the Moon Kingdom. Now he'd been reborn. But was 15 years old.  
  
This was a problem.  
  
Oh to be sure, a mere nine years was as NOTHING to one raised in the Silver Millenium. A lifespan of a thousand years insured that attitudes about time considerations was considerably less than in this modern era. The problem was that Nebula had been reborn in 20th Century America. A woman nine years older was a BIG problem. Anyone over 18 dating someone on the other side of that line was looked askance at to say the least, thrown in prison and declaimed in the papers more likely. He was not likely to be receptive until after Nebula had fully awoken.  
  
And if he did awake? He would remember being abandoned by her, called off to duty without a backwards glance. He wouldn't know about herr attempts to get the "no visitors" policy waived, he'd been sent away from Court and would have been completely out of the loop. ANOTHER big hurdle.  
  
So Setsuna Meiou, guardian of the Gate Of Time, Sailor Pluto, fretted and watched and paced and tried to come up with a plan.  
  
----------  
  
Grey picked himself up. The headache and blackout indicating that maybe he'd hit his head harder than he'd thought.  
  
He picked himself up in time to see the priestess return, this time with a crowd of others. Nodding briefly, Grey winced at the stab of pain that brought. "Uhm, do any of you speak English?"  
  
That brought a couple of surprised looks from several of the girls. The shrine priestess was leaning on a tall girl and looked like she'd been through the ringer.  
  
"I speak English," said a girl who had a red bow in her hair. She had an accent but it was minimal - indicating that she likely spoke quite well indeed.  
  
"Oh, sorry to bother you, uhm," Grey decided to shelve questions about the whatever the heck that wooden girl was. They'd just think he was crazy if they hadn't seen her, and the priestess didn't look too steady yet. "i'm kinda lost. Do any of you know how to get to," here he took out his note and read the address off.  
  
Everything was silent. Causing him to look up. Great, more staring. He'd never gotten the feeling of being on display quite as much as he had over this past day, and he was getting really tired of it. "Well, if you don't know, thanks anyway."  
  
A short haired girl that looked *really* familiar cleared her throat. "Errr. Uhm. Shard-san?"  
  
"Yes," Grey answered, finally placing the face. It was the girl from the airport yesterday. Had it only been yesterday? It seemed longer.  
  
----------  
  
Everyone stared. The boy looked a bit sullen, tired, irritated, and scruffy. He was scraped up, it looked like he had a head wound, his clothes were ripped in a couple of places, and he had obviously been not doing too well of late.  
  
"He tried to intervene against the daimon when she first showed. He didn't do too well." Rei spoke in Japanese, of course, noting from the uncomprehending look that the boy either didn't speak Japanese or wasn't very good at it. "I think I can stand on my own, Makoto."  
  
"Oh dear," Ami said, switching to English and bowing. "-I'm Ami Mizuno. I'm terribly sorry. I... missed you at the airport.-" She switched back to Japanese. "I'm so embarrassed I've forgotten how to say it in English. How do you say 'it was my mistake'?"  
  
"-It was my mistake,-" said Minako, the English language being one of her strengths.  
  
"Uhm, everyone this is, err, ahh, my, uhm, fiancee..." Ami's voice trailed off into nothing.  
  
Makoto opened her mouth.  
  
"Come on, Mako-chan, how does he remind you of your old sempai?" Rei prodded the taller girl.  
  
"Actually, he doesn't look a thing like my old sempai. My sempai was tall and handsome and had this really great smile..." Makoto's voice trailed off, the boy had just reacted to something.   
  
"He's not blonde. Aren't all Americans blond and tanned? Except for some of their movie stars of course." Usagi agreed that the fellow didn't look like much.  
  
"Well, he doesn't look that bad," said Minako. "Uhm, he doesn't speak Japanese does he?"  
  
---------  
  
Grey let out a deep breath, this would let him know how much of what they'd said he'd gotten right. "Nihongo wa sukoshii hanashimasu." (i speak a little Japanese.)  
  
Yup, multiple apologies and a lot of bowing. Oh, this was just *peachy.* This girl was embarassed to have him as a fiance, combined with the bits of dialogue he understood earlier, plus apologizing for what they'd said. It all added up. That he'd gotten some of their words wrong was not immediately obvious, tone and expression filling in blanks.  
  
"Gomen nasai, Mizuno-chan, I shall endeavor to be less a burden to you and return home," Grey turned and walked off. He didn't need this. If he wanted to be insulted, abused, dismissed, or just plain treated as a doormat, there were plenty of *American* girls to do this.  
  
He heard more Japanese being spoken behind him, but frankly this hadn't been a good day and he was *not* terribly understanding of these things at this point. He was *tired* and didn't want to focus on anything more difficult than a warm dry bed. He wanted somewhere where he could read the street signs, he wanted somewhere he could order food and not wonder if there was dog or cat as a primary ingredient (he'd heard stories), he wanted to be someplace where he was tolerated even if not particularly liked, and damn it - he wanted to be able to change into dry clothes!   
  
The Shinto priestess from earlier ran in front of him and started yelling something that sounded extremely uncomplimentary.  
  
"Get out of my way. I'm tired, I'm *still* damp, I'm cold and I am heartily *sick* of this crap!"  
  
The priestess blinked for a moment, then threw her hand forward as if to slap.  
  
Grey blocked, dropping his suitcases in order to chamber the other hand ready to strike. Except that at the moment they touched, the girl seemed to go off into la-la land. Picking up his suitcases again, Grey prepared to go past the seemingly stunned girl.  
  
Except the tall one seemed to have some grudge now and she turned out to be a better fighter.  
  
---------  
  
Seeing Ami curling up in embarassment at this gaijin meeting her and then REJECTING HER, Rei found her feet and started forward.  
  
"How *dare* you lay all this on Ami-chan! Then turn your back on her like that!"  
  
The boy said something that sounded uncomplimentary.  
  
Rei felt the boy's arm make contact with the flesh of her own arm and got an immediate dream image.  
  
---------  
  
"First Lieutenant Basalt? Here? How interesting," said Coral, one of the older members of the court, Princess Mercury's second cousin if Princess Mars had the genealogy right.  
  
"He's boorish and clumsy, an oaf," sniffed Princess Mars in reply.  
  
"He's the favorite uncle of Princess Venus," said Coral, as if to herself.  
  
Princess Mars stumbled slightly. "Excuse me?"  
  
"He's the favorite uncle of Princess Venus, a professional soldier who's spent most of his life away from the courts and its intrigues. Until about eight years ago, of course."  
  
"What happened then? That mouth of his get him demoted?"  
  
Coral seemed to consider something for a moment. "He became a Special Operative responsible directly to Queen Serenity herself."  
  
The graceful Princess Of Mars bumped her knees into a chair as she stumbled again. "THAT PUMPKIN?!"  
  
Coral nodded again, mysterious smile in place that said she was keeping the juiciest parts back for later. "He's been of great benefit to the Kingdom. Why, I've heard it said that Princess Serenity would not be here today if it were not for the man's efforts."  
  
Mars-ohime grimaced slightly, considering that she'd not been terribly nice to him. Maybe she'd overplayed her princess role.  
  
"Though, like Bennu, he's currently out of favor with the Queen. Whereas Bennu circulated that limerick about Her Majesty," Coral smirked in appreciation of the jest, however politically suicidal that had been, "Basalt merely failed to deal with some courtly intrigue. Or so the rumors say."  
  
Again Rei grimaced. Courtly intrigue rarely suited her mood either. She'd rather "Fire Soul" her opponents than engage in indirect smear tactics or the like.  
  
"Mako-chan!"  
  
Rei shook her head, clearing it of the vision.  
  
Just in time to see Makoto land a good one on the boy, a really devastating sweep-kick. Very effective as it knocked the boy into the air above the steps. He made a nice little arc, finally landing on the pavement below in a heap.  
  
At which point a car ran over his outstretched leg.  
  
"I didn't... I mean I didn't see..." Makoto was just now realizing how far the fight had escalated and what she'd done.  
  
Rei winced. Take a certain fifteen year old, add another decade, and you had someone who looked an awful lot like First Lieutenant Basalt. "Uhm, Mako-chan. I'm okay. He's not Dark Kingdom either. Actually, err, I'm thinking he *was* on our side."  
  
=============  
  
well, i'm trying to take a few aspects of typical SM fanfics and twisting 'em. Am i succeeding? 


	2. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 2

  
A Soldier's Duty  
  
4th Labor Chapter 2  
  
DISCLAIMER characters owned by others, mainly Naoko Takeuchi. rest of this mess by metroanime@mindspring.com. i'm trying to take the typical fic of this kind and at least put a different twist or spin in it. Let me know if i'm succeeding.  
  
"We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about." - Charles Kingsley  
  
=============  
  
The ambulance had come and gone, as with the motorist that had run over the boy present, and Usagi unable to transform to Sailor Moon, there hadn't been a lot else that could have been done. Otherwise the broken and unconscious heap could have had a Healing Escalation.  
  
Those who knew Ami and her mother knew that Ami's mom would never have raised her voice over the phone to her daughter. Watching Ami wilt further during the phone conversation, they could only guess at what was said.   
  
Usagi wondered that if studying and reading were Ami's usual joys, would she be punished by having to play video games?  
  
Rei waited until Ami had returned, a quiet lump in her usual spot at the table, before relating the stories of her visions relating to this Grey actually being a reincarnated warrior named Basalt.  
  
"Basalt?" Artemis thought for a few moments. "I remember him!"  
  
Luna frowned. "I don't. Are you sure about this?"  
  
Artemis nodded happily. Maybe he could "fix" one of the girls up with him. It was clear that Ami didn't want him. Besides Ami wasn't interested in guys, just studying. "We commiserated many times on... that doesn't matter." He had been about to say that they got together and talked about how miserable the women in their respective lives had made them. Which would probably not go over that well in this company. "I remember once he sent me some salmon cakes back when I was... having some difficulties. A real prince of a fellow in some ways."  
  
"He's an ally?" Makoto slumped in place at the table. "Why did he have to be such a jerk?"  
  
"He's always had troubles relating to women, in this life too it seems." Artemis winced, seeing the same comment in more than Luna's eyes that Artemis *did* share some qualities with Basalt. "It's also very likely he doesn't remember his Silver Millenium incarnation at all."  
  
Ami slumped a little more. In fact it began to look as if Ami and Makoto were having a guilt contest.  
  
Running in third place, Rei weakly smiled. "Uhm. So, Ami, is your mother..."  
  
"Not very happy. I explained it was an accident, but..." Ami felt about twelve inches high at this point. "Concussion, hairline fracture at the jaw, another in the third right rib, broken right elbow, multiple fractures left foot, broken right collarbone..."  
  
"...but I didn't hit him in the ribs. And his foot was run over while he was lying in the street. I didn't..." Makoto hung her head. An ally. They finally had an ally besides Tuxedo Kamen and it turned out to be a kid a whole year younger, and she had managed to put him in the hospital.   
  
Artemis frowned, thinking. There was something else about Basalt but he couldn't remember what. His memory had proven fairly unreliable, but he thought he almost had it. Oh yes, he was a second Uncle, twice removed (or something like that) to Venus in a previous life. (Silver Millenium genealogy tended to be rather convuluted.) Which meant that he was minor nobility. Hmmm. They had some unattached princesses who were looking for a boy, and minor nobility meant that the bloodlines wouldn't be weakened by mixing with commoners. Knowing that this was one of Luna's buttons (she had been BIG on family lines back then), Artemis figured that once he explained it to Luna, the two of them could figure out who'd be a good choice to pair up with the boy.  
  
That was, Artemis appended, if they could overcome a *really* bad set of first impressions.  
  
Ami listened for a while to the swirling conversation around her, then got up. "I think it would be best if I visited my fiance in the hospital. I think we kind of got off on the wrong foot."  
  
"Boy is that an understatement." Minako ignored the reactions to *her* making such a statement. "Well, don't worry too much, Ami-chan. Remember that it is always better to drop your britches before you cross them."  
  
Rei fell over. Ami turned bright red. Usagi scratched her head.  
  
Ami let out a deep breath. "That's 'don't burn your bridges before you cross them'." Ami stopped, realizing that she'd gotten so out of sorts that she didn't even remember how that old saying went. "I think I'd better get going."  
  
---------  
  
Doctor Mizuno found the boy and the room had gotten a bit crowded. Why there were so many nurses present, she wasn't sure. Sure, he wasn't Japanese, but there were other gaijin about. And why was his blanket thrown back?  
  
"AH?! Doctor Mizuno?! I... I mean we, we were just checking his..."   
  
Kumori Mizuno eyed the panicked nurse, the "candy stripe" assistants, and all the others showing signs of distress and embarassment. She looked puzzled and then at the still unconscious boy. Eyes twitching under his lids, slight jerking motions at the extremities, all signs of REM sleep, even his...  
  
Ami's mother cleared her throat. "Well, you've checked his catheter placement. Now give the poor boy some privacy."  
  
Watching with some amusement as the various nurses scurried out, Dr. Mizuno covered the boy with the blanket, her eyebrow still raised. "Well, well. Daughter, this boy might not meet your standards in some manners, but he certainly won't disappoint you in others."  
  
----------  
  
Elsewhere:  
  
"URD!"  
  
"Hey, I couldn't help it! It's been a running joke since the beginning of his Second Labor anyway. How could the Cupid of Love resist?"  
  
"Maybe the Cupid of Love *should* resist. Yeesh."  
  
----------  
  
Ami and her friends, there mainly for support, waited at the nurse's station for a few moments when the conversation going on in front of them caught their attention.  
  
"Do you suppose *all* American boys..."  
  
"...never seen one like that before..."  
  
"...don't think it would fit..."  
  
"...don't know about THAT, but can you imagine..."  
  
"I heard the boy has a Japanese fiancee, and she and her friends beat him up and threw him into traffic for being hentai."  
  
"With THAT, he might not have any choice about being hentai."  
  
"Heck, he's only fifteen. Imagine when he's grown up."  
  
"Maybe it's just swelling. He could have a crush injury." A nurse with long hair, which seemed to have a faint dark green highlight to it, said over her shoulder as she walked away.  
  
Ami twitched. She was good at math. American + 15 year old + male + beat up by some girls. The rest of the conversation wasn't too clear to her. Just enough for more frequent flyer miles on Guilt Airlines.  
  
"Well, *I* heard that she didn't want him and he didn't even have a chance to get hentai. She just assaulted him and tried to kill him. Some girls are like that you know, don't stain the Japanese heritage kind of thing."  
  
Ami twitched again.  
  
"Geez, you'd think she'd at least try it out first."  
  
"Excuse me, what exactly are you talking about?" Usagi asked innocently, though her friends weren't quite sure either. Just that it involved hentai.  
  
"Excuse me, but... I'm Doctor Mizuno's daughter. Is room 412 taking visitors?"  
  
There was much staring from the nurses. Ami wilted slightly.  
  
"He's unconscious, but there's no reason you can't see him," allowed one of the nurses. "He was given a shot for pain that pretty much knocked him flat out. Low tolerance apparently."  
  
"Thank you," Ami said, bowing slightly. What *had* the women been talking about? Other than her apparently emerging reputation for being violent and anti-gaijin? And he'd recovered consciousness but been in such pain they'd had to knock him out again? Ami had been feeling somewhat ill since the boy had landed in the street, this was continuing to increase.  
  
Getting to the room, Ami and Makoto both WINCED. Feeding tube in one arm, head all bandaged up except for a slit around the eyes, dark circles around those eyes, a cast covering one foot up to just below the knee, his chest covered in bandages. He was the very picture of someone who had gotten very severely messed up.  
  
"Yeesh, he looks more like someone who tried to take on Godzilla." Minako heard Makoto whimper and patted her on the shoulder, trying to come up with something reassuring to say. "Hey hey, Mako-chan. You know what they say. 'You can't make an omiai without breaking a few legs!'"  
  
Rei winced. "You're not helping. And that's 'you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs' Minako."  
  
Makoto slumped further. Not only had she lost her temper and beaten up Ami's fiance, who might be an ineffectual ally but still was apparently an ally, but what was his opinion of Japanese girls going to be with *that* kind of introduction. Maybe she could spontaneously master the ninja Art Of Stealth and sink through the floor now.  
  
The blanket had been bunched up, so, still feeling severely guilt ridden, Ami tried to straighten it.  
  
"What's this?" Usagi asked, tugging on a tube that went under the blanket.  
  
Ami, puzzled herself momentarily, lifted the blanket again to trace its length up to...  
  
Ami STARED. "Oh my."  
  
"Huh? What?" Usagi looked at Ami's reaction, traced her friends gaze. "AAAAAAA!"  
  
"What?!" Minako asked, her own curiosity piqued. "OH MY DEAR LORD!"  
  
"Eeeep!" Rei eeped, turning the same shade of red as her senshi uniform's skirt.   
  
"Now THAT reminds me of my old sempai."  
  
"HUH?!!!!" Lest anyone doubt, there was a mass facefault accompanying that.  
  
Makoto shook her head vigorously, sending little sweatdrops everywhere. "Not that I ever played doctor with my old sempai or peeked on him in the bath. Nononono!" Makoto finished with a little laugh.  
  
"Ohhhh?!" Almost everyone had focussed their attention on Makoto now. It was safer.  
  
Ami still stared, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. Technically she knew from studying anatomy that this wasn't unusual, it typically occurred with men during REM sleep. A glance at what was visible of her fiance's face did indeed reveal that his eyelids were twitching.  
  
"You didn't kick him THERE did you, Mako-chan? It looks kind of swollen." Ami decided that this was a MEDICAL case and to distance herself mentally from the concept that this was her fiance.  
  
"Nonononono!" Makoto tried to indicate this was not the case. Nope. She didn't hit guys there. Not unless they REALLY deserved it. Heck, there were Dark Kingdom Generals she wouldn't kick THERE. Very often. Well, maybe Jadeite.  
  
"Uhn," said Grey, moving his head.  
  
*THWAM!* This was, as you might expect, the sound of several people trying to occupy the exit at the same time. They might have been successful if Usagi hadn't tripped and sent the whole group into a sprawling pile.  
  
Usagi muttered briefly how glad she was that Luna wasn't here to see this.  
  
Ami noticed she was staring at a pair of shoes, then let her gaze travel up. "Oh, ah, Mother. Errr. I can explain."  
  
Doctor Mizuno looked down at the pile of girls, ignoring Usagi's complaint that "you guys are heavy" and looked into the room at the blanket that had been left askew. Tsking lightly, the pediatrician resolved to have a little talk with her daughter.  
  
Later, though. Doing it in front of her friends might embarass her. Worse than she already was, that is.  
  
--------  
  
"...I'm sure it's a Dark Kingdom plot... mumble mutter... get us to lower our guard... mutter mumble... THEN they'll come in and reveal their true plan... grumble gripe..."  
  
Artemis winced a little as he heard Luna muttering. "Well, maybe the daimon have some connection to the Dark Kingdom. Basalt, on the other hand, was trusted by the Queen herself to perform delicate missions. Remember the Alien Derelict?"  
  
Luna stopped in mid-mutter and her hackles rose. "No, but just that phrase gave me goosebumps and I'm a CAT!"  
  
"Well, I can't remember that much myself," said Artemis, not for the first time cursing their scattered memories. Mind you 100,000 years was a bit long for suspended animation. Especially as the technique had been experimental. "I just remember it because one of our little discussions was right after he returned and the Queen hadn't classified the whole thing as Imperial Seal yet. He was pretty badly shaken as I recall."  
  
"Really, was it that bad?" Luna wondered how 'Alien Derelict' could manage a security lock which was 'so secret you can't even tell yourself about it'. That, of course, would have piqued the curiosity of everyone who'd heard about it. The only level higher, Imperial Edict, would have required the death or permanent memory erasure of everyone who knew about it.   
  
"I don't remember," admitted Artemis. "I think he gave me some details but you know what our memories are like. All I remember for certain is that he had the shakes. Whatever went on there really got to him, and apparently he confessed that the Queen had been sending him into more and more dangerous missions of late."  
  
"Ah HAH!" Luna wheeled on Artemis. "Why was THAT?! She had reason to suspect him of disloyalty?"  
  
Artemis winced again. "Well... apparently she'd been advised she was spending too.." Artemis' eyes widened and he stiffened in shock.   
  
Luna frowned, managing to show teeth. "Too much money? Too many of the Kingdom's resources? Too much of the Crystal's resources?"  
  
"...too much time with her Consort..." Artemis blinked, amazed at how clearly the memory had just clicked into place. "I *remember* now. He was *really* a wreck after the Queen dismissed him from the Court stating he was unsatisfactory in the long run."  
  
Luna puzzled over that. Probably not that good in the sack or something? Well, a Queen had to have discerning tastes, it was in the job description somewhere- Luna was sure. "So, a failed Consort? Think there was one or two of those. Hmmph. She always did have trouble just dismissing her lovers normally. Love and leave 'em, I say. Queens don't have the luxury of forming relationships of the heart."  
  
Artemis winced yet again, but noticed that Luna wasn't as hostile about his old "drinking buddy". (Even if he'd never seen Basalt drink anything harder than cider, and he'd most often gone for cream himself.)  
  
Luna sat back on her haunches, considering. "Well then, if he was good enough to make the cut for Consort, even if Serenity felt he couldn't keep up later, and that might have just been she had her eye on someone else, then he *is* suitable for a Princess."  
  
"We could certainly use more allies," pressed Artemis. "Since he's here about an engagement, if he fails with Ami (which looks likely) then he'd need a new reason to stay. This new enemy looks pretty tough, and Sailor Moon is currently unable to transform..."  
  
"Hmmmm," hmmed the black mooncat as she considered who to match this Basalt up with. ~Makoto? Maybe. Have to find a way to get him to look more like her 'old sempai' otherwise he's got an uphill battle. Definitely not good for Ami though. Professional soldier & aspiring doctor? No, definitely not. Minako! Definitely! She speaks English even better than Ami. Playing matchmaker ON the 'Soldier of Love' - irresistable. It just *has* to be done.~  
  
Artemis sighed in relief. It looked like Luna was at least thinking about it. ~Now who am I going to pair Basalt up with? Ami's not interested in guys, just studying. Makoto maybe. Though maybe some advice on how to look more like 'her old sempai' would help. Maybe Rei? Yuuichiro just seems to bug her. Hmmm. Have to try both Rei and Makoto and see where it goes.~  
  
"...or maybe Sailor Pluto..." seemed to whisper the breeze, but both mooncats ignored it.  
  
---------  
  
Elsewhere/Elsewhen:  
  
"He what?!" Jared blinked. Repeatedly.  
  
"You heard me, he sent an e-mail with the files and schematics during his First Labor," Edema glanced at the other elf and repressed a shudder.   
  
"Can I see them?" asked Jared, distrusting the drow. They *were* the darkness left over from the shattering of the elven races. The reason for hundreds of thousands of elven deaths. Such things were neither lightly nor easily forgotten.  
  
Long nails traced a quick pattern in the air, and a computer clicked on to display a 3D model. "Behold," Edema said, unable to resist being a bit of a showman in this instance. "The Pheonix RuneGod."  
  
Jared quickly flicked over the salient points. "Not robotechnology, not protoculture driven." ~Good armor and forceshields though.~  
  
"Ah'm a mage and a confectionary specialist, not an engineer," Edema allowed. "Celeste, you're the techie of us three, what kinda jazz did he put in this?"  
  
"It's a combination of three types of technology, crafted of living metal," Celeste indicated. "Like a Valkyrie or similar mecha, it can transform. The bird shape is surrounded by a plasma flame. The soldier configuration concentrates the plasma into a sword shape. You'll notice the changes made recently? Marionette technology, allowing for speed and reflexes surpassing that of most pilots. The engine driving it is a tachyon chamber. The main gun, located in the central chest there, is a..."  
  
"Buster style weapon," finished Jared. "Soldier configuration would have 1/4 the power of the cannon compared to Pheonix configuration. A combination of elements from Magic Knight Rayearth, Star Blazers, Five Star Stories, and Gatchaman. He was still trying to be useful, apparently. What's that second cockpit?"  
  
"Another recent addition," Celeste said. Tech stuff *was* her provence after all. "Direct interface with a marionette or combat cyborg frees up some capabilities from internal computers and through the magical elements has a possibility of increasing the marionette's abilities to the scale of the mecha."  
  
Jared briefly grinned, picturing a 60ft tall mecha using a to-scale World Shaking or Moon Healing Activation. "So Grey was planning on building *that* in an attempt to be useful?"  
  
"There were some problems, namely time," indicated Edema. "He *was* trained by Hephaestus, after all. Interfacing magic with machines is something he's rather good at."  
  
Jared's eyes flicked back to the drow. "So why show me this? What's your angle?"  
  
"My angle, as you so quaintly put it, is simple." Edema's golden eyes regarded Jared impassively. "I want to know why you haven't dispelled the Arrow Of Obsession that Shan hit Sakyo with."  
  
Information for information? Jared nodded. A fair trade, and the dark elf *might* have a legitimate reason for wanting to know.  
  
---------  
  
Ami sat in the chair provided for her as her mother hustled her friends off. Having seen Makoto with her cigarettes, and as there was a patient being treated for lung cancer scheduled for a blockage removal - knowing her mother's recent anti-smoking mania they'd be getting shown around for awhile.  
  
Likely Makoto would get an up close and personal view of what blackened, fluid filled, scabrous, lung tissue looked like. Yup. This might take a while.  
  
Ami fidgeted and tried to figure out what was expected of her.  
  
She felt guilty, after all - it had been HER fault that her fiance had wandered the streets and gotten rained on. She felt sympathy for the fellow, as he'd been lost and most people would be a *little* irritable in such a situation. Then a little admiration, he'd not done that bad for not speaking the language and getting lost. And not many normal people would have tried to come to Rei's rescue like that. That was a good quality, and Ami felt a little pride that her fiance was at least brave. Not necessarily an intelligent move, but a brave one, and perhaps his heart was in the right place. Of course he could have been a LOT more effective, but Ami was inclined to be generous. Then came around to guilt again because her friends had possibly crippled him for life.  
  
"Okay," said Ami aloud, trying to organize her thoughts. Naturally, being mathematically inclined, she put together a plus and minus column.  
  
PLUSES: He had some courage. According to Rei, he'd been someone named Basalt - a soldier in the Silver Millenium. Therefore he wasn't likely to come apart upon learning of their senshi identities - he was already involved. Based on the suitcase they'd gone through looking for his passport, he wasn't unintelligent either. Books on customs and language, notebooks and newspaper clippings on Juuban had been present. Also a paystub from some company called Waldenbooks. A boy who worked at a bookstore and could get her a discount, well, that was definitely something for Ami's plus column.  
  
MINUSES: He wasn't particularly handsome. Rather average looking for a gaijin. He *was* a gaijin as well. If Luna was right about Crystal Tokyo, then this needn't be a permanent problem, but until then it was sticking point. Gaijin often went through periods where they were tolerated, and an Americajin would be confronted every time relations between the US and Japan was strained - such as during the Gulf War. He might be intelligent, but he was prone to act without thinking, or he'd have not attacked that "daimon" threatening Rei. Brave but not terribly smart. He was also a year younger! Scandalous! Well, at least if it was the girl who were older. He was just slightly taller than herself, and she'd prefer someone... like Mamoru-kun actually.  
  
Ami ducked her head at THAT thought. It had been discussed several times since the Queen Beryl days, NEVER when Usagi was around. Each and every one of the Senshi felt they had more in common with Mamoru Chiba than Usagi Tsukino. They were a Fated Couple, though, so Mamoru was off limits. Unless, as Minako had jokingly suggested, they were to end up "sharing" him. Once it had come out into the open, and several months later, another private meeting had determined that it almost seemed Fated as well. Though if they mentioned ANY of this in front of Usagi, she'd likely come unglued. While Usagi might want more than one guy, she was not going to want to share the one she had.  
  
Deciding she'd study and hold her fiance's hand (guessing that this was what she was *supposed* to do), Ami reached over to grab that errant hand. She felt a spark at the contact and...  
  
-----  
  
Ami looked up at the polychrome sparkle that marked the dome that kept the air inside. Cold air, blown from a shaft nearby, caused her sailorsuit's skirt to flap. An errant memory told her this led to a Dimensional Gate, which abounded a land of icy seas. The bitter cold served to make living on the planet Mercury possible.  
  
"You wanted to see me, Princess?"  
  
Ami turned to see... Shard-san? No, this was him but a decade older and with a harder look to him. This was the same boy, but one that had gone through a lot. Including quite a bit of exercise. He seemed to examine her briefly, then saluted and waited.  
  
Ami felt her mouth moving without her wanting to say anything, like she was just a passenger. "Yes, Lieutenant, the Derelict. I'm told you were one of the survivors of that little... adventure."  
  
The soldier gave a tired sounding sigh and shook his head. "That's classified, Princess. By order of the Queen. You know that."  
  
"Still, you could tell me the declassified part," Ami heard herself say.  
  
"Princess, it's under Seal. To quote an old compatriot, 'it's so classified i can't even dream about it'."  
  
-------  
  
Ami broke the contact. Was THAT the sort of thing Rei had been talking about? How could...  
  
Pluto. The Guardian of Time. Her involvement somehow was producing these little glimpses into the past but why?  
  
Viewed THAT way, the reason was obvious. She wanted them to know, for whatever reason, that this Basalt was safe to pursue - unlike that Nebula fellow. Though Nebula hadn't struck her as being particularly villainous...  
  
Ami's eyes widened. Take the Musketeer clothes and exchange them with this odd set of fatigues that she'd seen, and there was one conclusion. Nebula WAS Basalt. The boy that Pluto had warned Makoto not to pursue.  
  
But why? How?   
  
Ami's hand reached out uncertainly for Grey's, and she felt the little electric crackle again. This time she didn't pull back, wanting to see the images clearly.  
  
It was a palace, vaguely Greco-Roman with its many pillars and polished marble. The dance floor was crowded with people mingling, though the music was pleasant there wasn't anyone dancing. Something seemed to tell Ami that this was an earlier scene from the first one, and she tried to relax and watch it occur.  
  
Princess Mercury heard a hiss and noticed her friend, the Princess of Venus, waving at her. Uncomfortable with the stilted courtly manners in the first place, Mercury quickly used the excuse to seperate from the latest in a long series of boring courtesans that had been arranged to escort her.  
  
"That's him," indicated Venus with a nod of her head. "My Uncle, though the relationships are a bit more tenuous and complicated. You know how it is."  
  
Mercury rolled her eyes. She certainly did. Geneaology was all some people, way too many by her estimation, could talk about. Then she focussed on Venus' Uncle. Shorter than most of those around him, the courtiers and politicians didn't even seem to notice his presence. He was dressed in a fairly simple uniform, without many of the frills and laces and ribbons that bedecked the others. The symbols on his collar denoted a minor noble, house of Jasper of Venus - though that was a guess. The symbol on his sleeve denoted that he was a Lieutenant. Though that, as the nobility markings, was something that Princess Mercury was mainly guessing at. She didn't have more than a marginal familiarity with either. He was clearly as out of his element as Mercury was here.  
  
"There was an exception made for tonight, he's here in an official capacity. Otherwise he's banned from Court," confided Venus.  
  
"Yes, I know already. Queen Serenity tired of another Consort and banned him from the Court," Mercury didn't admit to having heard the gossip. It was so... mundane. And often inaccurate.  
  
"That's not all," continued Venus, still in a hushed voice. "He's the father of little Serenity. I know him, that's gotta be hurting him pretty bad."  
  
Mercury nodded. Even from here she could see the sad, pained, look about him. She feigned disinterest, though she privately thought he looked much more interesting than the usual court hangers-on. "So what makes this Basalt special, other than he's fathered the Princess?"  
  
"Well, I told you that he's been a Space Marine, he fought in that Ceres Uprising a few years back," Venus was thinking aloud, "he's gone after the usual pirates and such. Oh, and when that alien derelict entered our system, he was one of the survivors of the boarding party. He's also the Knight Of Duty..."  
  
Mercury's interest, though hidden, increased. Maybe she could talk to him later, there were sure to be things not precisely classified about the Derelict that he could talk about, and a Knight put him on a social ranking that wasn't unseemly for her to associate with. "Are you sure? This isn't more Court gossip, is it?"  
  
"Scout's honor," Venus held up a white gloved hand. "It's commonly known around the Court, after all, the Queen wouldn't have accepted someone of such a minor house as Consort."  
  
"I see," said Mercury. Maybe she could corner the fellow later. It would be better than talking to that two-dimensional fop she'd entered with.  
  
Ami Mizuno put down the boy's hand, letting the vision fade. So Princess Mercury and "Nebula" had known each other? Luna and Artemis couldn't be right, could they?  
  
Ami blinked. If the main reason he was a threat was that he'd been banned from court. And the reason he'd been banned was that the Queen had tired of him as a Consort...  
  
Then Artemis and Luna wanted to kill him because the Queen got bored of him?! That would explain why Pluto had warned Makoto not to pursue, he was the sort who had trouble dealing with rejection. How could she tell them they were wrong without letting them know she knew who he was?   
  
"ahem."  
  
And how long had her mother been watching?  
  
Doctor Mizuno had entered the room and noticed her daughter hurriedly putting down her fiance's hand. Well now, this *was* promising. She had waited while her daughter had continued in some deep thought about something before clearing her throat. "Ami-chan?"  
  
"I, err, that is..." Ami just *knew* her mother was misunderstanding the whole thing.  
  
"Hmmm?" A hummed comment and a raised eyebrow was sufficient response to Ami getting more and more flustered.  
  
"I... well I..." Ami twitched and fidgeted.   
  
The smirk vanished from Kumori Mizuno's face. "Ami-chan? Has he been glowing like that before?"  
  
Ami yelped as she realized that the boy had a faint glow and a symbol glittering on his forehead. It wasn't a *planetary* symbol either. Remembering Rei's talk about some guy named Basalt, could this be *his* symbol?  
  
"Well, Ami? You appear to know something about this," Doctor Mizuno had suspected that *something* was going on with Ami of late. Instead of looking alarmed, Ami was looking guilty and evasive.  
  
Even more alarming, and damning, was the blue mark fitfully beginning to glow on her daughter's forehead.  
  
"Well..." Ami started looking for a cover story.  
  
--------  
  
"i am Grey. i am a 15 year old boy from Tempe Arizona, here in Japan to meet a girl i was engaged to through an arrangement of my grandfather and HER grandfather. i am a so-so student who has a weird ability to get impressions of what might be correct. One year of studying Tae Kwon Do, one year of fencing, and a few mechanical skills learned as a 'shadetree mechanic' and working odd jobs."  
  
"I am Basalt. I am 248 years old, in the manner of Silver Millenium lifespans that makes me about 39 in this Millenium's terms. I was born on the Venus Colony, of the House of Jasper. I joined the Space Marines on reaching my majority, and reached First Lieutenant. I became a Special Operative for Queen Serenity at the same time I became a Consort. I spent ten years there, then was dismissed from that duty. I perished in battle against the Dark Kingdom."  
  
"i am you?"  
  
"Sort of. We are injured."  
  
"i noticed."  
  
"We are sarcastic. Part of my training as a Marine was in basic chi techniques."  
  
"Chi?"  
  
"Life energies. Similar to, though different from, manna techniques such as the senshi use."  
  
"Senshi?"  
  
"The reborn princesses. The 'weird stuff' in Juuban that occasionally made it into the news."  
  
"Ah, that stuff. Yeah, i remember. i take it you want to use those chi techniques."   
  
"No. We must be as one, or nearly so. As it is you who are injured, it is you who must use it. We must be Grey and Basalt and Nebula. At least in part."  
  
"Well, I suppose. It's better than losing the foot at least."  
  
"That it is. That it is."  
  
---------  
  
"Dear. I'm a doctor. And your mother. And that boy is currently floating one inch off the bed. I know darn well that something is going on, and you apparently have an idea of what it is. If you *don't* want me to call in nurses and orderlies, you're going to have to talk."  
  
Ami winced. "Uhm. Can we do this later? Where people aren't as likely to come walking in?"  
  
"All right, young lady, but this isn't over by a long shot." Doctor Mizuno pursed her lips. "Is there any radiation or other special dangers that we need to be aware of?"  
  
"No, nothing like that," Ami said, beginning to resent this boy now. If he could only have just stayed at home, their secret could have been maintained until Crystal Tokyo was established. Though how nobody's parents had ever noticed *something* going on was another question.  
  
*CRACK!* Bits of cast exploded from around the leg, causing Ami to flinch and her mother very nearly to hit the Nurse button.  
  
The body jerked several times, the glow appearing especially bright around the areas of injury. Then the glow faded and the body dropped back onto the bed.  
  
Kumori Mizuno was immediately at the boy's side checking injuries and muttering under her breath. "These wounds look to have healed several weeks at least. The leg, particularly the foot, several times that."  
  
"Well... errr..." Ami wasn't sure what to tell her mother. Sailor Moon might have done that with a Healing Escalation, but who else could have done something like this? From the symbol on his forehead, now fading to the color of normal skin, she'd say that it was Basalt who healed Shard-san.   
  
"We'll need new Xrays, need to recast this..." Mother looked at daughter. "Tonight young lady. I'll be done here by seven."  
  
"Yes, Mother..." Ami mumbled.  
  
The boy stirred and his eyes briefly searched around. "Princess Mercury?"  
  
Ami's hair toinged in all directions, and she began sending little sweatdrops everywhere.  
  
Still groggily, the boy slumped backwards and mumbled. "Lieutenant Basalt, Imperial Space Marines. Esper of the 4th Circle. Reporting by Imperial Law..."  
  
Ami's eyes bugged and she was still emulating a sprinkler system with little sweatdrops.  
  
"What language was that? It wasn't English," Doctor Mizuno stated, then looked to her daughter. Obviously, Ami had understood whatever language had been spoken. Yes, they were definitely going to have that talk tonight.  
  
--------  
  
Professor Tomoe stood back in the shadows, ready to laugh maniacally.  
  
"Pathetic."  
  
As the Professor could have sworn he was alone, that single word, in a *male* voice, managed to catch him flat-footed. "W-what?!"  
  
"You heard me, I said 'pathetic' and you *are*." The old man stepped out of the wall and looked over the lab. "This whole place is pathetic. 'Eggs of Daimon'?! Pretty lame too."  
  
Professor Tomoe was not used to this level of sarcasm and was still pretty shaken up by someone walking through the walls and apparently knowing all of his evil plans.  
  
"Pharoah 90 is pretty lame too. Well, you don't have to concern yourself with that anymore."  
  
"I don't..." The Professor started reaching behind his back. Perhaps if he were to throw one of the reagents?  
  
"Try to contact Pharoah 90," urged the old man. "Stealing 'pure hearts' and all that. No. It stops here and now. No more of this lame half-assed evil."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Cthulhu."  
  
"Gesundeit." The Professor could almost reach the beaker.  
  
"No," said the old man. "Cthulhu. Now THERE is some pretty potent evil. Someone who'd chew up Pharoah 90, Metal'la, AND Sailor Galaxia and spit them out like watermelon seeds. Sailor Moon would be sitting in a padded cell with her brains leaking out of her ears before the season ended if she'd had to face Cthulhu. Oh, and if you throw that, you'll only piss me off. You don't want to see me pissed off, Professor Tomoe."  
  
Professor Tomoe threw the beaker anyway. Which stopped halfway to the target and just hung there in midair. Then the glass rippled and began to change, until a rat squirmed where the beaker had been.  
  
"You're pushing it, Tomoe. Or should I say Geramatou?" The old man made a gesture, more for show than anything else, and the rat exploded in a shower of gore. "I'm taking over. NOW. You can join me, or you can be an experimental subject."  
  
"I don't..." Whatever the Professor was going to say after that was lost. He frantically started feeling at the blank space where his mouth had been.  
  
"You obviously need to think about your decision," the old man suggested. "Kaolinite just needed me to remove her arms and legs and replace them with something... creative. This way she'll also serve as an object lesson for the others."  
  
The Professor started gasping through his nose as panic set in.  
  
"Try to contact Pharoah 90. As I said, some pathetic wannabe Cthulhu is hardly worth your time. I'll be back tomorrow for your decisions."  
  
---------  
  
"Interference in the simulation," Celeste noted from a warning flag. "Unaccounted for variable."  
  
"Why is everyone looking at me?" Jared grumped.   
  
Edema shrugged. "Much as it pains me, ah've got to side with the high elf on this. Unless he's split himself again, he's been looking over that scroll ah brought him."  
  
"What's it do?" Celeste queried, knowing full well that the dark elf and the fiery elf, though they had common friends, did *not* get along. Despite Edema doing things like deliberately showing the Mage where he could play around in a timeline and actually not be technically interfering with it.  
  
"It's something ah worked out," drawled Edema. "A little project of mine. Allows for one to draw out a dimensional aspect of a merged being. Very experimental, of course, and likely would only work in the area of Mimir's Well..."  
  
Jared eyed the scroll uncertainly, making a little mental note that the drow had just deflected everyone's attention from blaming him for the disturbance. Accident?  
  
---------  
  
The clock ticking in the kitchen was briefly the only sound heard. Ami fidgeted LOTS under the steady gaze from her mother.  
  
"Well, young lady?"  
  
"Uhm, you see, my friends are into cosplay, and well..." Ami's voice trailed off. "I guess not, huh?"  
  
Kumori Mizuno continued to eye her daughter, giving just the slightest shake of her head.  
  
Ami sighed. "I promised that I wouldn't tell anyone. And I haven't had the chance to discuss this with anyone else..."  
  
A throat clearing brought both of their attentions to the patient.  
  
"-Look, i can't speak Japanese very well, and your Mother doesn't speak Millenial. She's wanting to know what went on earlier?-" The boy leaning in the doorway ignored the shocked looks.  
  
Ami puzzled out the English phrases. It wasn't like she got to use her English that much and her accent tended to be a bit thick. "-Yes. Mother want know why you float. Think she suspect much.-"  
  
"-I speak some English, Shard-san.-" Kumori reminded her daughter, though it had been tempting to just remain silent and see what would be revealed.  
  
"-Good. i haven't promised anything to anyone regarding this,-" Grey hobbled to the table, wincing everytime he put weight on the one leg. "-Mizuno-san, according to my books, most Japanese believe in reincarnation, right?-" At the doctor's nod, Grey continued. "-My memories are rather spotty, but the Princess and i have met in a previous life.-"  
  
Doctor Mizuno's mind started racing. ~Ah, a romance between two lovers from a previous life, reunited. The red thread of fate at work, just like in one of those shojo manga I read as a child. And he uses the term 'Princess' - obviously a petname or phrase of affection.~  
  
"-i was a soldier in service of a kingdom,-" continued Grey, "-where i learned a few tricks like that fast healing trance.-"  
  
Dr. Mizuno nodded. ~A romance between a soldier and my daughter in a previous age. No doubt he was summoned off to a war while she waited at home, only he didn't return. Now fate has brought them together again. How suitably tragic/romantic!~  
  
"-Until i met the Princess here, i didn't remember my previous life at all,-" Grey said, bowing slightly towards Ami.  
  
Dr Mizuno smiled and her gaze flicked from her daughter to the young man. ~Ah, the ties of the ancient love have awoken their previous identities. How very Shinto. Perhaps I should start scheduling the wedding? He's *only* fifteen, though, so perhaps after they graduate high school.~  
  
"-There are many things i don't remember and many things i'm not clear on, but if i don't focus too hard, i can speak Lunarian Millenial - the language of the ancient Kingdom we were in.-" Grey grimaced and moved his legs slightly. "-Uhm, so tell me, Ms. Mizuno, what exactly is the situation?-"  
  
Ami blinked, realizing that both Shard-san and her mother were appraising her. "Oh dear."  
  
"-You should call her 'Ami-chan', Grey-san, she *is* your fiancee.-" Doctor Mizuno crossed her legs and continued to watch her daughter. ~Ah, young love, I remember it well.~  
  
"Well, I..." Ami blinked and perspired. "That is..."  
  
"-In English, daughter,-" Ami's mother gently reminded. "-Though I suspect I already know everything.-"  
  
"Gleep!" Ami managed. ~Mom knows that me and my friends are actually the Sailor Senshi? That we've been killed once already, brought back by the Silver Moon Crystal, and we go about Tokyo saving the world from Threats From Beyond regularly?~  
  
Kumori Mizuno smirked. ~Yes, I can see it now. Their eyes met at that shrine Ami and her friends visit, and suddenly they remember their previous lives. Cue soft lighting, drifting sakura petals, as they cross to each other. Ah, and one of her friends misunderstands Grey-san running towards Ami and protects her.~  
  
"-Just a moment, if we're to explain this to your mother, a demonstration might be in order,-" Grey said, standing up. "-Besides, i think i'll heal faster as the Knight.-"  
  
Ami blinked, beginning to sweat. "He, that is, I..."  
  
Grey held one hand up, which suddenly held the Chain Of Duty. The chain lengthened, swirling around the boy who changed more than just his clothing into combat fatigues. He was taller and more muscular, adding another five years at least.  
  
"..." Somewhere inside Ami's head, Reason (normally occupying 92% of available resources) was abruptly trampled under Hormones. Reason recovered quickly however and beat the invader down.  
  
Kumori had the sudden desire to run a full physical. Purely out of medical curiosity of course.  
  
Ami glanced at her mother, aware that once again both were watching her. "Oh dear." With *great* reluctance, Ami pulled out her henshin pen. Then realized that this boy would see *her* nude! "Uhm, could you turn around?"  
  
The man blinked. "-You want to try that again in Millenial or English?-"  
  
"-Turn around please?-"  
  
"-Why?-" The man seemed puzzled. So was Ami's mother. After a moment he did so, though he was plainly annoyed.  
  
Ami raised the pen up. "-Mercury power. Make up!-"   
  
"-You're expending a lot more energy than you need, Princess.-"  
  
Kumori Mizuno noted that her daughter was one of the Sailor Senshi, and that she normally went about going through naked transformation scenes. The day's events caught up with her and she fainted.  
  
Turning and catching the woman, Nebula couldn't resist. "-That went better than I thought it would."  
  
---------  
  
"The first thing is to change the modus operandi significantly," said the Wizard. "For one thing, you do *not* want to kill anyone until the Senshi have been neutralized. *Especially* any of the Senshi."  
  
Eudial adjusted her glasses and held up a hand, waiting until the Wizard had called on her before asking her question. "Pardon me, but how do we seek the Talismans without getting those 'Pure Hearts'? And..." Eudial's voice trailed off at the look from the Wizard.  
  
"No 'Talismans' or 'Rainbow Crystals' or 'Star Seeds' or anything of the sort." The Wizard glared at everyone in the room. "The second goal will be to sow discord and chaos. With people's lives thrown into turmoil, they will seek stability. Which will be what we can offer, unlike any of the forces of good in this world. The third goal will be to find and defuse those forces of good. Better yet if we can subvert them, but that bears its own risks."   
  
"...and OUR role in all this is what?" Kaolinite asked, glaring at the Wizard. Bad enough to spend the night with her feet turned into tree roots and her arms into feathers. But it would take some time for her to forgive what this fellow had done to Soichiro Tomoe.  
  
"Power. Not the pathetic stuff you've got now. REAL power. Ruling over the world, and not one drained of all life as you'd have had under Pharoah 90." The Wizard gestured and a piece of chalk started writing on the blackboard. "You will be those who Sow Chaos with the Seeds of Daimon and your powers. As you exercise those powers, they shall grow."  
  
"What kind of Powers are we talking about?" Mimete smiled at the Wizard. He was *so* cool!  
  
"The Senshi follow the typical pattern of sentai teams." The Wizard gestured at the blackboard, indicating each point as he continued. "Color coded superheroes with elemental powers, stronger together than apart. With their previous enemies, their tactics were 'gang up on the single monster' and it served them well. Every new enemy they adapted and evolved to meet upgraded threats. That is, their attacks have evolved. Their defenses are pathetic."  
  
"So why don't we just kill them quickly?" Eudial waved her hands in front of her face at the Wizard's glare. "Ah-ah-sorry..."  
  
Mimete giggled.  
  
"Kill any of them and you awaken a sleeping beast that will go through your ranks like a sword through wet toilet paper." The Wizard indicated the blackboard again. "On to the first priority. Energy. The Dark Kingdom managed this in a rather pathetic fashion. Some can be obtained through the chaos tactics I mentioned earlier, however, more constant energy flows that are subtle can provide better empowerment to each of you. The basic spell mechanics are simple, and I shall provide the collection crystals to use. Your first assignment will be to develop the cover identities. The more energies you collect, the greater your powers. Now, see what you can come up with."  
  
  
==============  
  



	3. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 3

  
A Soldier's Duty  
  
4th Labor, Chapter 3  
  
DISCLAIMER: Many characters by Naoko Takeuchi. Other stuff by metroanime@mindspring.com  
  
"There is the right thing to do, and there is the easy thing to do. Ah don't recall too many cases where they were the same thing."  
-Edema  
  
----------  
  
The witches 5 each had their chosen sites.   
  
Some were more obvious than others.  
  
Each crystal was attuned to draw off psychic energy released by emotions. Each could be set for different effects. Each would intensify one particular emotion in its presence, feeding off the rest.  
  
Mimette had *just* the place to put the Shame crystal.  
  
----------  
  
Usagi dreamed, and concentrated on the dead Silver Crystal. She wanted to remember. There had been so many problems caused by not remembering Endymion was Tuxedo Mask was on THEIR side.   
  
She really didn't want to go through *that* again.   
  
Proving that she might be a ditz, but she *could* learn.  
  
---------  
  
Usagi looked about, recognizing the place instantly. It was the Moon Palace. "I did it!" There was a momentary pulse of pleasure at having done this correctly, even if it felt like someone had helped her.  
  
There was a flash of an image of some woman with really long hair carrying a key-shaped staff, but that was probably a trick of the light. Right?  
  
Looking at her reflection in the silvery chrome of the Old Gate, Usagi realized that Serenity was about ten years old in this memory.   
  
"Little Princess, what are you, oh..."  
  
Serenity looked up. A tall man, with red hair streaked with blonde. Or was he just relatively tall? "Who? Bennu-san? I thought Mama banished you to your tower?"  
  
"I'm here on business, little one." Bennu smirked, patting the little girl briefly on the head. "You're curious, aren't you?"  
  
"Unnn!" Serenity nodded. "That man over there. I've seen him several times. He looks very sad but nobody will tell me who he is."   
  
"Do you know what a 'father' is, Princess?" Bennu looked down at the little girl then away at the guy who stood outside the palace grounds.  
  
"Unnn," Serenity said, nodding again. "Some of the workers in the palace have daddies. Mama says that I don't, that's why I look so much like her."  
  
Bennu forced his frown off his face. "Actually, Princess, you *did* have a father. But sometimes mommies and daddies don't get along as well as they'd like. And if the mommy doesn't get along with the daddy."  
  
"Huh?" Serenity looked up at Bennu then across at the man who turned and walked off, sad expression still in place. "I don't understand. Who is he?"  
  
"His name is Basalt, and he was a member of the Royal Guard."  
  
"Oh..." Serenity said.  
  
A guard came running up, intent on summoning the Princess back to her lessons.  
  
Serenity spared a last glance back to where the man had been.  
  
---------  
  
Usagi bolted awake, sitting up. There was a yelp and a thud as Luna was briefly airborne then landed. For the second time in as many days, she did not land on her feet.  
  
"Ouch," summed up Luna, rubbing at her nose.  
  
"Ami's fiance is my *dad*?!" Usagi said in a quiet voice. "No way."  
  
"Huh?!" Luna frowned. That almost sounded like... Wasn't there something about a Consort?  
  
"Ami's fiance is Serenity's dad?!" Usagi repeated, still trying to get her mind around the concept.  
  
Luna continued to concentrate. ~There was... was that him? Basalt? Let's see, there was... and then there was... BASALT!~ The mooncat winced, remembering a scene like a still frame. Remembering the Queen in tears one night, having done something she deeply regretted, even if she had felt it necessary. Sending her Consort away because she had started to...  
  
"Serenity's dad is now a year younger than me?" Usagi still was having trouble with the concept.  
  
~depend on him. Care about him almost as much as she cared about her Kingdom. Oh dear.~ Luna eyed her Princess. "Uhm, well, that is."  
  
"Mako-chan beat up my dad?!" Usagi whispered, eyes wide. "or Princess Serenity's dad. Or something like that. Ahhhhh! This is so confusing!"  
  
Elsewhere, Pluto smirked. *That* should keep Usagi from pursuing Nebula, and might help keep Luna from getting in the way.  
  
--------  
  
Ami got up nearly two hours before school. She was that way able to get a bath, leisurely have a sandwich, and get to school early. Reading most of the time as she did all three activities.  
  
So, she walked into the bathroom, nose in a book. There was a test in Physics in two days, she had to study for it!  
  
"-Uhm, Princess?-"  
  
Ami stopped abruptly, her eyes slowly leaving the book.   
  
There was her fiance. Coming out of the tub. Water beading on his slender male body. Naked as the day he was born.  
  
The red tide of blush swept up Ami's form. Two corners of her mind decided to interject comments while the main cpu was offline. Over in this corner, a dry voice said "well, this is OK, we're engaged anyway. Might as well check out the merchandise." Ami's gaze dipped involuntarily in response to that voice. The other voice was saying how glad she was that Ami was in the habit of wearing a bathrobe.  
  
"ah-no, Ami-chan?"  
  
Ami blinked, her eyes snapped up to a very embarassed male face. "...eeeep..." (twitch, twitch)  
  
"-Do you mind, 'Ami-chan', I just did a quick work out and I was just washing the sweat off?-"   
  
The door slammed as Ami abruptly moved faster than Usagi after a box of Pocky. "Sorry. Sorry." Ami blinked realizing she was addressing the hallway. (twitch, twitch)  
  
Grey blinked at door, then slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. "-Idiot! I forgot, they take communal baths and all that! I probably embarassed her. Dummydummydummy!-"  
  
Ami took a deep breath, leaning against the door. All she needed to do was get her breakfast, *then* she could get her bath. Reverse the order, no problem.  
  
The door opened.  
  
"eeep" eeeped Ami, aware that she was saying that a lot this morning. Also quite aware that she was heading for the floor at a high rate of speed. This was not shaping up to be a good day.  
  
Seeing the girl heading for a painful meeting with the floor, Grey naturally grabbed her.  
  
Freed of his hands, the towel he'd wrapped around himself fluttered to the floor. "-oops.-"  
  
Ami blinked. She wasn't heading for the floor anymore. She *was* being held. By a naked boy. Who was her fiancee.   
  
*klick* Something that had been bothering Ami since her awakened memories from the day before fit into place. Grey was the reborn Nebula. Nebula was Basalt. Basalt was a Consort of the Queen and the father of the Princess. Who was Serenity. Therefore... "Oh dear."  
  
Grey was getting concerned. Ami wasn't moving. "-Uhm are you injured?-" No response. Time to try one of the Japanese phrases he'd tried to memorize. "Ami-chan. You hurt no is?"  
  
Ami blinked. Clearly Shard-san needed some tutoring in Japanese. Sentence structure especially. And he was using the wrong particle.  
  
Grey was getting really concern. Still no reaction. Ami wasn't exactly heavy but he still needed to shift some to lift her up. He shifted his weight, his foot finding the towel.  
  
Ami eeped as she fell further, the back of her head impacting something not nearly as hard as the tiled floor.  
  
"Eeeep!" This time it was Grey's turn to eeep.  
  
Ami blinked a couple more times. Then realized that the two of them had fallen, and the back of her head was resting on... "EEEP!"  
  
Her mother wandered in, stepped over the two, picked up her toothbrush, stepped over the two again on her way out, then stopped. Slowly she turned. Raise eyebrow. She'd been working odd shifts this week but the scene was sufficient to penetrate. Two horrified teenagers stared back.  
  
"Ah, mother, I can explain. Ah hah."  
  
Grey had absolutely no idea what to say. Much less in Japanese. "Uhm. Sorry?"  
  
"It's nice that you two get along like that." Kumori Mizuno eyed the slipped towel on the floor, the still-damp look in the boy's hair, the completely dry look of her daughter, and realized that it probably wasn't anything bad. Just in case though, she ought to pick up a family planning kit for her daughter. She wasn't *that* anxious to become a grandmother. "Still, don't you think you should take it easy until Shard-san's injuries heal?"  
  
"Oh no!" Ami immediately fled to her room.   
  
Grey grabbed the towel and covered himself, wincing. "-You know, i just went through that and *i* don't understand what just happened.-"  
  
Dr. Mizuno considered the American briefly. She'd *have* to tell this one down at work. "-Try not to do it again. Shard-san. Whatever it was that happened.-"  
  
-----------  
  
Somewhere under a mountain:  
  
The men and women were dressed absolutely identically. Black suit, black tie, black sunglasses. Well, except for Ralph. And James. But James was just visiting from an allied country's similar department, and Ralph was, well, Ralph.  
  
Their surroundings high tech. Their work mainly secret to the degree that most people would confuse them with MiB or similar fictional bug-a-boos.  
  
"Assistant Director?" A folder was laid on a desk. The folder and the papers within made of materials that would begin disintegrating after a few hours, of course.  
  
Number Three scanned the first few pages. "Sebastian Shard's grandson? Interesting."  
  
"We've been tracking him for some time, of course. This latest incident has moved him from 'possible' to 'promising'."  
  
Two sets of xrays were briefly scrutinized, medical reports scanned as quickly. Speed reading was a required skill here. "I'd say *quite* promising," said Number Three to Number Thirty-Six. "No trace of these abilities sooner."  
  
"He's never been attacked by an Entity before," Thirty-Six indicated, tapping a grainy telescopic photograph of the Daimon Mikuji. "We turned up our scrutiny when he went to Azabu Juuban."  
  
"A known hot spot, of course." Number Three nodded. Standard procedure. Then the elderly man tapped a photograph. "What of this girl?"  
  
"Ami Mizuno, his fiancee due to an arrangement with his grandfather. Japanese cram school student, IQ rating 300 in some tests. Lower but still genius rating in others. Shy. She's also been tentatively linked to the Scouts. Though whether as a Scout or just a fangirl is another question." Thirty-Six hesitated. "She doesn't appear to get along with him. Though if you'll note, there were twelve such arrangements made."  
  
Number Three glanced out towards the main floor. "Rather like Sir James in that respect. Sebastian Shard's popularity with the ladies, I mean. One hopes his grandson isn't nearly as bad."  
  
"Not likely, sir. The boy failed to attract any female attention, and his performance in sports has been rather lackluster. Until this incident, he suffered from major respiratory problems annually."  
  
"These other girls?" Number Three indicated sets of photographs, including one group shot.  
  
"Other fiancees, sir. Neither they nor he know as yet."  
  
Number Three considered briefly. "They're operating in Japan. Contact Tiger Tanaka. Professional courtesy, besides Tanaka may have some Intel on these girls we don't. Then arrange for information to reach these other fiancees."  
  
--------  
  
Grey wandered the streets. His paperwork *still* wasn't ready, and so it would be another two days before he could attend this Juuban High School as an exchange student. Moving around was difficult, and painful, but exercise was necessary for him to recover and he *really* needed to get more practice with Japanese.  
  
Minako started raving about this new "Karaoke Underground" - a new hot spot and it gave discounted rates to high school girls who went in groups of five! Maybe they ought to check it out after school? Oh, yeah, and maybe they could try to bring Ami's fiance Grey-chan along!  
  
Ami blushed and tried *not* to think about what had occurred that morning. This obviously was not working out, and she should indicate this to Shard-san. He couldn't even speak the language, so how was he going to stand up for himself or defend her honor?   
  
Multiple girls saw the way Ami blushed and twitched at the mention of her fiance's name. Leading to reactions from Usagi's "oh ho!" to Rei's pondering of the potential for danger to the group.  
  
Usagi wondered if she should ask Ami if she could come home and visit. Her English skills were horrible, but she had a chance to do something Serenity could not - get to know Serenity's dad. Wow. She had two dads now! Except one was younger than she was. Why did her life have to be so confusing?   
  
Mimette merely made sure everything was in place, then began collecting energy. 20% was reinvested in the environmental effect, a lowering of inhibitions similar to alcohol. As alcohol *was* served to the vast majority of patrons, it would go mainly undetected. 20% went directly to her, increasing her own personal power level. 30% went to the manna pool they were amassing. That left 20% that Mimette was directing to soldier development, and 10% to a Lure effect. Faceless minions, daimon, youma, whatever you wanted to call it. Minions were necessary, to Mimette's thinking at least.  
  
Sailor Pluto fretted a bit more, then realized that there *was* a solution to this crisis. She was the Guardian Of Time, after all. It was tricky, but a matter of timing. Now that her boyfriend/main squeeze/etc wasn't likely to be killed out of hand by Luna, she could turn her attention to THAT.  
  
Sailor Neptune came to a halt as the whispers of the sea changed from the coming Silence to something else entirely. But one thing that she and Sailor Uranus were certain of: that fellow with the chain weapon was clearly DANGEROUS.  
  
Eudial and the other members of the Witches 5 quickly set up their own plans to trap energies.  
  
Mamoru Chiba planned on meeting his "Usako" after school. Even with *his* course load, one had to make plans for the future. And his Princess was pretty high a priority on that future.  
  
Luna made plans on getting either Rei or Minako interested in that Basalt fellow. The idea that Usagi might be interested in her own Silver Millenium father was... Luna shuddered. No, best not to go there. And make sure Usagi never even came close.  
  
Artemis wondered how he could get Basalt to gain at least a foot in height (so that Makoto would be interested), making him Japanese (so Rei would be interested), or incredibly wealthy (which might balance out his lack of height and ethnic qualities as far as the two girls were concerned) - the difficulties of which made him head over to the Crown Arcade Center, go to a hidden room, and play the Valkyrie Flight Simulator for several hours rather than face the idea that he had no clue as to how to do this.  
  
Tiger Tanaka raised an eyebrow at the folder to cross his desk. "Sebastian Shard? Now there's a name, I've not heard since..." Thumbing the intercom, he gave a few orders, ending with a code phrase that was also a summation. "There is a hawk among the songbirds, let us watch and see what develops."  
  
-----------  
  
Kumori Mizuno stared at the nurse before her. "Can you say that again?"  
  
The nurse held out the file Doctor Mizuno had given her, attempting to return the signed check included. "I said that there's no need for this. The whole thing was paid for by the American Embassy on the condition that we sign one of THOSE waivers. The funds were transferred this morning. In fact, Doctor Hensou, you know the head of the trauma ward downtown? He stopped by as a professional courtesy to some friend of his who has an interest in the boy. He didn't stay to talk much but he wanted to look over a lot of the records."  
  
Kumori Mizuno blinked in surprise. As the responsible adult in charge of caring for the boy she had reluctantly shouldered the idea she would be paying for the damage her daughter's friends had done to him - granted at a substantial discount as she was staff here.  
  
The nurse flipped a few more pages in a report she'd been holding. "Oh, and something odd. There was a fire in medical records. Someone apparently spilled a flammable liquid all over Shard-san's records. Admin was wondering if you made copies since he was released into your care."  
  
The pediatrician blinked a few times as the nurse continued.  
  
"Oh yes, there were some flowers that arrived from the Captain of the USS Nimitz, and there was a lovely card from the Prime Minister. Oh yes, there was some fellow from the Japanese Self Defense Forces. A General Toku- something. Sorry, we were kind of busy at the moment."  
  
Doctor Mizuno began to wonder just what her father's friend had DONE since the war!  
  
A black suited, dark-glassed gaijin man poked his head in the door just briefly and, in perfect Japanese, thanked the nurse for the coffee and said that they were probably going to drive back now.  
  
After he'd disappeared, Doctor Mizuno hesitated to ask. "Just what was that about?"  
  
The nurse shrugged happily in the way of those with no idea of the significance of what they do. "Oh, he and a few friends of his dropped by to see Shard-san. They poked around the office a bit and checked out some machines, talked to a few of the staff and were very friendly and nice about everything. They were inquisitive and seemed to really care about his well-being. Do you suppose that all the Americans are that nice to each other? It must be a great place to live."  
  
The words 'international incident' rolled through the stratosphere of Kumori's mind.  
  
What exactly was going on, Doctor Mizuno wasn't sure. One thing, however, was certain.  
  
She'd gotten a lot less enthusiastic about the possibility of her daughter's romance. At least until she'd gotten some answers.  
  
---------  
  
Ami fidgeted. How to break off with Shard-san? *Should* she break off with Shard-san? He seemed fairly nice, if exasperated and frustrated. But then she had her studies to consider...  
  
"I've got a date with Mamo-chan later," chirped Usagi.  
  
"We can at least go and scope the place out now," Minako insisted, displaying the flyer for what seemed like the hundredth time. "This special introductory offer won't last!"  
  
"-Just a moment please.-" Grey considered briefly. "Excuse please. Odd thing feeling."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Grey found an alley, ducked into it and transformed.  
  
"How come *his* transformation sequence doesn't involve turning nude and a lightshow?" Rei grumped.  
  
"Hoping to get a free peek?" Makoto said this almost to herself.  
  
"Yeah. HEY!" Rei fumed.  
  
Grey stood, letting the Chain rustle as the Star Arrow head probed the air, finally settling in a particular direction. "-Over there, what do you see?-"  
  
Minako looked. "-Just some young girl. She looks kind of sick.-"  
  
"-Something wrong?-" Ami asked, wondering if Shard-san knew what was wrong with the girl.  
  
"There's something dark and evil associated with her. Just something briefly surfacing. If we see her again, maybe Usagi should try a Crystal Moon Exorcism."  
  
LARGE eyes with sweatdrops.   
  
"You spoke Japanese?!" "Waaah! I don't know that one! And the Crystal doesn't work!" "Damn, at times like this I could really use a smoke." "Let me try scanning with the Mercury Computer."  
  
Nebula briefly explained he was speaking Millenium. "And as for the Crystal not working, I'm sure you'll get it going again. I have every confidence in you."  
  
Usagi blinked, then beamed. "Thanks, Dad!" (HUG!)  
  
Another brief pause, accompanying stare and sweatdrop. "WHAT?!"  
  
Nebula smiled tenderly down at his daughter, using a hand to gently stroke her hair. "How long have you known?"  
  
"Since this morning," Usagi said, just letting the moment be. This hugging thing was nice. Completely different from hugging her Mamo-chan, but not bad.  
  
"-Whoa Whoa! Time-o out-o!-" Makoto made a "T" with her hands. "'Dad?!' You? He?"  
  
Ami cleared her throat. "Apparently while Shard-san and Usagi-chan are unrelated, Nebula and Serenity are father and daughter."  
  
"That's like, major weird," Minako said.  
  
"Nebula-san is also related to Princess Venus. A favorite Uncle, though the relationship is a bit further than that." Ami felt inclined to add. It *really* didn't seem right to be engaged to her friend's father.  
  
Nebula shifted, becoming Grey again as soon as Usagi had turned him loose.  
  
"Man, I wish *I* could transform without the whole   
  
Grey merely looked blank, not understanding as they were speaking Japanese again.  
  
"Well, come on," Rei grumped, not wanting to break the moment. Or even think about what she'd just witnessed. "We better get this over with."  
  
--------  
  
Elsewhere:  
  
"Jared? He's off with those piratical Kunos raiding Tripoli and holding some guy named Qaddafi hostage. Why?"  
  
"I got an answer regarding Shan and Sakyo, also all those marionettes," Edema stated. "Apparently he did try and couldn't remove their imprinting on him."  
  
Amaterasu shook her head. "Never cared that much for elves myself. No offense, Ed. Admittedly he's incredibly handsome, confident, nearly eternally young, powerful, intelligent, wealthy, lucky..."  
  
Edema rolled her eyes but didn't say a thing.  
  
"...but if that were the sort of thing I was attracted to, I'd have joined Apollo's groupies myself."  
  
Edema hadn't been sure what the sun goddess was going to say. That wasn't what she'd considered likely.  
  
"Well, the god of crossovers is off having some fun. Grey's in the simulation along with his various girls." Amaterasu considered for a moment. "Who do *you* think will win?"  
  
"Sugar, if gamblin' weren't unladylike, I'd be putting a quart of mint julep ice cream down on..." Edema glanced around, then whispered a name.  
  
Amaterasu blinked. "You're kidding! No way! Is that even possible?"  
  
Edema merely winked and nodded.  
  
--------  
  
"Karaoke, huh?" Grey grumbled. This made about as much sense to him as pachinko. Darn little.  
  
"-Shard-san,-" Ami began, feeling strength from the presence of her friends. "-I think it best if we not continue engagement. It too difficult and you not protect yourself from talk at school.-"  
  
"Hey, they need someone for this song," Minako said, pushing the male at the table forward. She thought Ami was blowing this *way* out of proportion, better give them both some cool down time, right?  
  
Grey smiled humorlessly as they shoved him on stage. He understood all right. He'd just been broken up with, then thrown up on stage. Humiliate the gaijin was it? Well, looking around the crowd of sararimen and the other girls present, it looked like he'd get a measure of payback.  
  
Grey frowned on reaching the machine. The English songs were in katakana, and none of them looked promising. "I did it my way" - maybe?! No way! Hmmmm. Well, this wasn't perfect, but it would have to do. Fortunately, he knew most of the words.  
  
Then, eschewing the lyrics showing on the monitor, he made obvious eye contact with Ami.  
  
"Hot summer night,  
Fell like a net,  
I got to find,  
my baby yet."  
  
Other patrons began tracing his gaze. The attention on Ami grew.  
  
"I need you,  
to soothe my head,  
turn my blue heart to red."  
  
Ami was sitting still and straight. The only motion was the red rising up her body as if she were a thermometer in a furnace.   
  
"Doctor,Doctor, give me the news,  
I got a bad case of loving you,  
No pills gonna cure my ills,  
I got a bad case of love for you!"  
  
Grey continued the song, keeping eye contact through the whole thing.  
  
More and more people turned their attention on Ami as the song continued and it was obvious he was singing specifically for her.  
  
"Pretty face don't make a pretty heart  
I learned that buddy from the start  
You think I'm cute, a little bit shy  
Mama I ain't that kind of guy."  
  
Ami sweated. Then little sweatdrops began flying over her friends as she realized that now EVERYONE was watching her.  
  
"Doctor,Doctor, give me the news,  
I got a bad case of loving you,  
No pills gonna cure my ills,  
I got a bad case of love for you!"  
  
Even some of the waiters were now looking at her. Ami's friends were now holding up the menus just to shield themselves.  
  
"I know you like it,  
you like it on top,  
tell me mama,   
are you gonna stop?"  
  
Some fellow working behind the scene decided to put a spotlight on Ami. The other girls at the table attempted to completely hide behind their menus.  
  
"You had me down,   
21 to zip  
Smile of Judas on your lip  
Shake my fist,   
knock on wood   
I've got it bad   
and I've got it good."  
  
Feeling that she'd suffered enough when it looked as if she'd faint, Grey laid the microphone down, left the stage and took a seat nearby, continuing to look directly at Ami.  
  
"If you want to suggest that I'm not worthy of you, Princess," Grey said, in English but loud enough for others to hear, "then fine, I'll leave. But I think I've made my position clear."  
  
Grey was satisfied as he left, he even heard some applause from some of the other patrons. Whether it was for his performance, Ami's choice, or something else, he wasn't sure.  
  
--------  
  
Ami continued to sit as stiff as a board, sending little sweatdrops in all directions.  
  
"Ami-chan, are you okay?" Usagi inquired. She was concerned about her "dad" but she was also concerned about her friend. It wasn't like Ami to be that brutal, and what little she'd seen of Ami's fiance seemed a bit "off" here as well.  
  
"What was that plan of yours again, Ami-chan?" Minako sat back and favored her friend with a sideways glance. "Didn't you say during lunch that you were going to request that he return home to someone from his own country? That he couldn't possibly fit in here?"  
  
"Ami-chan?" Usagi began waving her hand in front of her friend's face. Ami didn't blink.  
  
"You were worried about his ability to make his feelings known, and protect himself from bullies who weren't offering a *physical* threat," Rei said, standing up. "I think he's managed to credibly answer those questions."  
  
"How's that, Rei?" Usagi asked, wondering briefly if she should get some markers out and doodle on Ami-chan. Then shaking her head at the strange impulse.   
  
"..." Ami wasn't sending out little sweatdrops anymore, but still hadn't moved.  
  
"You still haven't learned any English, Meatball head?" Rei groaned. "Look. What kind of song was that?"  
  
"I don't know. I'm lousy at English!" Usagi sniffled.   
  
"It was a love song, dealing with his deep affection for Ami 'the doctor' referred to in the song," Rei sighed, not having understood most of the words herself much less the meanings.  
  
Ami finally moved. It was a twitch, but it was a move.  
  
Minako, who understood all of the words, though perhaps not the meanings, saw the point Rei was making and nodded. It was probably just the closest song he could choose to make his meaning clear, and now the poor boy had left Ami - for her own good and happiness. Ah, love! Hmmm. That meant that Basalt-kun was free and probably needed consoling. "Excuseme, gottarun."  
  
---------  
  
Minako caught up with him easily enough, the boy had shorter legs and wasn't trying to walk fast.  
  
She remembered what her father had said, and managed to get in front of him. "-Hold it!-"  
  
"-Why should i? If you haven't noticed, the Ice Princess has been pushing me away from the start.-" Grey briefly considered shoving past Minako, then discarded it. One of the effects of running that chi healing trick almost constantly was it depleted one's energy level. He wasn't exactly a Ranma 1/2 character, able to shrug off fatal injuries without missing a beat. "-i've tried to fit in and just haven't been able to do it. Ami just gave me the big brush-off, and that's pretty much it. Why even remain in this damn country? Heck, i ain't even got a place to stay now!-"  
  
Minako almost said that he was stuck here for the school quarter because it would be difficult to get the records changed, or that they still had plans for the school dance. Neither would be sufficient. "-Let me tell you a little story.-"  
  
"A little story?" Grey leaned back against a bridge support. This sounded like it was going to take awhile.  
  
"-Many years ago, a man named Sebastian Shard served in the US Navy and was stationed here in Japan. Among those he thought of as enemies not long before, he was helpful and made many friends. As an engineer, he was very appreciated and many people listened to him. He was of very special help to one man in particular, who was introduced to his wife by the fellow. He was so grateful that he promised to unite the two families by marrying off his child to Sebastian's child. It was a good deal at that time, pro-American sentiment was pretty high at that time.-" Minako looked out over the river. Now she'd tell him what she had found out from her father last night. That the old promise had come down to HER now, that her own grandfather had only married her grandmother because that serviceman had introduced them - and that everyone had lost track of Lieutenant Shard when the serviceman had been recalled. How she had waited to see if Ami would push this boy away before making her own move.  
  
"-Ami, i take it,-" questioned Grey.  
  
"Excuse me, Shard-san."  
  
Minako nearly fell off the bridge.  
  
Grey merely flicked his eyes to the side, having noticed Makoto a few moments ago.  
  
Makoto fretted and played with her fingers. "Errr. Well, I..."  
  
"This still doesn't get me a new place to stay."  
  
--------  
  
"Young miss, I applaud your decision. Let the gaijin go back to his own country." The old man bowed briefly. "It is good to see young ladies who understand such things."  
  
"That's two congratulations for not being interested in foreigners, one 'glad you're not a yellow cab', and three 'now that you've ditched the gaijin how about heading back to my hotel' offers," noted Rei as the gentleman went back to his table. "Ami? Are you ever going to move?"  
  
"..." Ami twitched a couple of times.  
  
Usagi looked her friend over briefly, looked out the door, sighed heavily. "I'm passing up a date with Mamo-chan for this?"  
  
Ami twitched again.  
  
"Where did Minako and Makoto go, anyway?" Rei asked, though neither Ami or Usagi were likely to be fonts of information on this. "No, never mind. A guy with a broken heart leaves. Of COURSE they're going to go pick him up. I think Makoto's still feeling a bit guilty about her part in all this. Probably gonna make up with him."  
  
Ami stood. "Excuse me!"  
  
---------  
  
"We could always try 'rock scissors paper' for this," Minako suggested.  
  
"Arm wrestling?" Makoto was quick to counter.  
  
"-What *are* you two talking about?-" Grey asked, wondering why this sort of thing seemed to happen.  
  
"Hey, Ami decided to dump the boy. Now, admittedly he ain't much."  
  
Minako frowned at Makoto. "Now what part of him reminds you of your sempai? Oh yeah."  
  
"That's NOT it!" Makoto growled. There being an old rivalry between the two, almost any time a cute guy showed up - so did that rivalry. Now even an uncute guy was sparking it.  
  
"I admit, he's not exactly a teen idol..." Minako said, pointing at the boy who was staying well away from the two of them. "He *is* however, someone who wouldn't have to be rescued on a regular basis and he wasn't *that* shabby against that daimon girl."  
  
"-I may not understand what you're saying, but it doesn't sound complimentary.-" Grey frowned. These were close friends, and they were nearly coming to blows? Maybe... "-Hold on a second.-"  
  
*CHING* *SHUNK!*  
  
Makoto and Minako gulped and noticed the length of chain hanging from Grey's hand. The fact that it was pointed straight in the direction of "Karaoke Underground" was duly noted. Or was it pointing at the "approaching under a full head of steam" Ami?  
  
--------  
  
Mimette frowned when some guy left, followed by two of the women from that table, and finally a third, but settled down when another couple approached. Odd, it looked like a guy and girl, but the crystal insisted that it was two girls.   
  
No matter, the Wizard would be pleased when she presented him with a crystal full of the life energies of these people. Never mind that the plan was for slow careful draining, Mimette was ready to prove that her own methods were better!  
  
Some girl with ridiculously long ponytails and an odd odango hairstyle had taken the stage and was now singing some enka-style song. Yech. Now was as good a time as any.  
  
Gesture. Doors and windows locked. There would be no escaping this concert.  
  
Gesture. The "hired help" morphed into daimons! Well, sort of. Alcoholic Spirits was what the original summoning had been for. She'd call 'em daimons anyway, why not?  
  
"WAAGGHHHH!" Usagi said, actually summing it up rather well.  
  
Rei started heading for the Ladies Room, she could pull out her henshin pen and transform there.   
  
"Tequila!" A busty Latino wearing darn little exclaimed, briefly embracing Rei. Rei's eyes crossed and she fell over, suddenly having a blood alcohol level of "way past your bedtime young lady."  
  
Usagi had hit the ground and was crawling under the thick fumes when she bumped into something. Looking up, she saw a girl in a rumpled kimono that didn't really fit her.  
  
"SAKE!" The Spirit declared, holding Usagi down, mouth open. Then moved in for a kiss.  
  
"Yakkkkk! Nonononono! Only for Mamo-chan to do that!" Usagi squirmed as best she could, even as she felt an odd dizziness spreading from the youma's hands.  
  
----------  
  
"How could you!" Ami said, ready to unleash admonishment on this fellow.  
  
"-Come on! The Princess is in danger!-" A boy and two girls ran past Ami.  
  
Ami held the pose for a moment, mouth open, index finger raised on her right hand, left hand on her hip. ~Darn it, I've been rehearsing this ever since the song. Darn that boy!~  
  
-----------  
  
Mimette watched one of the daimon struggling with the girl on the floor.  
  
"I'm a little teapot short and stout,  
here is my handle here is my spout!"  
  
On the other hand, her friend had been embraced by Tequila and was now on stage doing a song and dance number. Mimette checked briefly, and yes the recorders were running.  
  
"World-o... GAKK!" Sailor Uranus found herself being kissed by a *very* curvy Russian girl named Vodka.   
  
"Uran-urk!" Neptune's concern for her partner left her open to Brandy's attack.  
  
Mimette turned her attention to the two girls who'd stepped out of the Ladies Room. "Oh ho ho ho! Two new performers!"  
  
Uranus finally broke the hold. "Ah... I'm not so (hic) eashily defeabeb. debeafed. febeaded. Don't lose that easy."  
  
Neptune pounded the floor, having been wrestled there by Brandy, still with a serious case of liplock and a blood alcohol that would have been fatal if she hadn't been in Senshi form.  
  
"Nephune?" Uranus peered at the two making out on the floor. "Ishn't that *my* job?"  
  
-------------  
  
NOTES:  
  
hi. uhm, this is a bit different from the other two. i'm happier with the results so far, the story seems to be proceeding a bit more smoothly.   
  
i've been told Grey comes across as a whiny ineffectual wimp. (wince) well... at least he's different from the "can do no wrong ultra-powerful" self insert. He's neither particularly self-confident, nor lucky, nor a "great warrior".   
  
Oh well, on to the next bit.  
  
================  
  



	4. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 4

  
A Soldier's Duty  
  
4th Labor, Chapter 4  
  
"The whole art of life is knowing the right time to say things." - Maeve Binchy  
  
"While the Art of Conversation is knowing when not to say things." - Shade  
  
-------  
  
The door exploded inward.   
  
"For destroying a hard won's evening of relaxation,  
where music and pleasant company ease the day's end,  
the beautiful soldiers of love avenge this loss!"  
  
"For this crime, you cannot be forgiven! - HEY!"  
  
"Hey! Don't grab me there you ecchi!" Sailor Venus started struggling with some blonde woman in a strange leather version of a Nazi SS uniform.  
  
"Jagermeister," said Venus' opponent.  
  
"Get off!" Sailor Jupiter started prying her own opponent off of her. "This isn't how these things are supposed to go!"  
  
The bouncy Germanic barmaid hugging Jupiter merely said "Schnapps!"  
  
"Oh dear," said a girl in a blue sailor suit. "Mercury Aqua..."  
  
"Beer!" "Scotch!" "Uzo!"  
  
..."Rhapsody!" Mercury's attack rocked Scotch. Unfortunately Uzo grabbed her and Beer pinned her.  
  
Mimette noted there was enough energy to rebuild the door, so she did. There would be no more interruptions. With these new energy sources, she ought to get enough in a few minutes to impress the Wizard and prove how valuable she was.   
  
Someone checking the door and briefly silhoutted at the window was of no concern. From the way the boy limped off, he wouldn't even be a good source of energy.  
  
A car alarm went off in the parking lot. There was a brief roar of an engine. Followed by the window being smashed open by someone's compact car going through it. The car alarm continued to bleep and beep and warn off intruders, even as the car emitting all those noises came to a stop partially inside the bar.  
  
"Tequila!" A Latino seductress prepared to spring.  
  
"Sorry, i'm underage," said the boy, stretching a chain between his hands.  
  
"Oh," said Tequila, turning around to go play with that nice girl with the blue hair.  
  
Grey wasted a moment, blinking in confusion as the various "daimon" lost interest in him.  
  
"Daimons! What are you doing? Get him!" Mimette squeaked. What was wrong with them?  
  
"Vot? He iv underage," explained Jagermeister in a thick Germanic accent. "Vot you not understand?"  
  
"I'll deal with him myself!" Mimette raised her staff and turned back to the boy only to notice a very *sharp* crescent blade was heading towards her at high speed. And it was less than a foot away. "EEEP!"  
  
*Poof!*  
  
"Teleports pretty quick," commented Grey, then looked around. "Oh heck. How the blazes am I gonna deal with *this*?"  
  
-----------  
  
"...beginning to wake up..."  
  
Ami struggled to wakefulness, she felt strange. Then slowly peeled her eyelids open. "Urgghhh?!" Eyes shut.  
  
"Slow, Ami-chan, slow please."  
  
Ami whimpered and curled up in a painful little ball. She had no idea how a sea urchin had crawled up inside her skull, but she was really wishing it would go away. Quietly.  
  
Rei mumbled something, got a bleary look around, then shrieked.  
  
They were the Sailor Senshi, the best of friends, they'd gone through thick and thin. And each one of them entertained a brief desire to (quietly) strangle Rei.  
  
"...please don't do that again..." mumbled Usagi.  
  
"-Mizuno-san, is that coffee ready yet?-"  
  
"-Almost done. I've put a pot of tea on too. My goodness, I haven't seen anything like this since I graduated from med school. The graduation party, well, it did have a resemblence to this. Just rather larger.-"  
  
Rei moaned inarticulately. Cheerful banter was *not* appreciated. "Shard-san? Why are we in Ami's apartment?"  
  
"-Something about apartment? Oh heck, i'm *major* tired at this point, Mizuno-san, could you explain?-"  
  
There were a few pitiful moans as the doctor entered from the kitchen, a few styrofoam cups and a decanter of coffee entering with her. "-Certainly, and you might as well call me 'Mother' or 'Kumori-san', we're practically family. If you'll get the tea?-"  
  
"-That isn't the impression i've gotten from Ami-chan. But call me Grey-san if you like. As for the tea, certainly. Though i think administering it or the coffee via IV would be a good choice at this point.-"  
  
"Unnnngghhh." Ami managed again. Her head hurt more than her entire body had during that fight in Antarctica, she felt nauseous, and she couldn't even open her eyes without another flash of pain.  
  
"Uhmmmmhgg," agreed several other voices.  
  
"-Here, Ami-chan.-"  
  
Ami felt herself being held, and a warm cup of something being held to her lips. The aroma of coffee seemed to shrink the sea urchin a bit, and Ami gratefully latched on to the relief. Holding the cup herself, letting its heat sink into her hands, felt good. She felt herself squeezed lightly, her hair stroked gently, then the presence left her to assist her mother with the others.  
  
Ami cracked an eye open again, observing her fiance. Okay, maybe he had his uses. Still, wouldn't this interfere with her studies? On the other hand, how could she even consider sending him away when family honor demanded... but then...  
  
Minako looked around blearily after taking a few sips of the hot tea in her hands. "Uhm, how did we get here?" ~And out of Senshi identity?~  
  
"Grey-san called me and asked if I could possibly give him some assistance getting you all home." Doctor Mizuno shook her head. "I have to get back to work now that you're all okay. Thank goodness the case load is light tonight. Be more careful in the future."  
  
Various eyes closed again as the Doctor returned to her hospital.  
  
"Tonight? What time *is* it?" Minako didn't want to open her eyes and check.  
  
"Time? Time seven thirty is. You no worry. Kumori-san call parents, let them know you with her. Everything..." There came a rustle of pages as Grey looked up a word. "Hunky-dory? You stay over is problem not is you rest they told... okay?!"  
  
"...ami-chan," croaked Usagi. "please please please teach my dad to speak Japanese..."  
  
Mutters of agreement from various young girls.  
  
Minako, with the greatest facility for English, took a sip of tea but was mainly content with breathing in the steam. Finally she opened her eyes. "-How come we...- AAAAAAAA!"  
  
Briefly, many minds pictured killing one Minako Aino. As the worst of the pain was fading, this was banished even faster than the earlier set involving Rei.  
  
"-What's the matter?-"  
  
"-We've grown?!-" Minako carefully set the cup down and checked.  
  
"-Hmmm? Oh that was due to 'Beer' using her 'Beer Bust' attack. i think she can dispel it. We can go back and fix that. i was more concerned with getting you all to safety.-"  
  
"-The daimon are still alive?!-" Minako's opinion of Nebula dipped slightly.  
  
"-Spirits, Aino-san. Completely different set of operating rules. They thought of the whole thing as play. And could you please not do that?-"  
  
Minako realized that she had been checking out her new 'talent' in front of a guy. "Oh."  
  
"What the?!" Others, wondering what was going on, were discovering the change. Shock was helping to further clear cobwebs and the caffeine was pushing the pain back enough for some basic functioning to occur.  
  
Grey looked distinctly uncomfortable for a moment, trying NOT to stare, despite being a fifteen year old boy. "Excuse me. Coffee more make i will."  
  
"No wonder my bra feels tight," offered Rei a few moments later. "This'll certainly get attention. We should probably get this dispelled as soon as possible."  
  
"Hmmmm," said a distracted Usagi.  
  
Rei growled. "Usagi, they're real. Don't do that."  
  
"Hmmm?! Oh. Hahhahahahahaha... uhm." Usagi looked back down.  
  
"You know, if that daimon *hasn't* been dispelled, and she can do this, she could become very popular." Minako immediately grasped the benefits of such a power.  
  
"Hmmmm."  
  
"-Here's more coffee... ACK!-"  
  
Everyone briefly glanced at the door that a boy had just entered from, turned around, and then fairly leapt back through.  
  
"Americans are so uptight about a little skin," noted Usagi, pulling her shirt back down. He was her dad, after all, one expected a bit more composure.  
  
"Maybe because me and Minako were adjusting our bras," suggested Makoto with an evil gleam. "What do you suppose would happen if we..."  
  
"Let's not," said Usagi, feeling sorry for her dad. Besides, Ami was now glaring at Makoto. Or was that a wince?  
  
"Well, Ami doesn't want him," began Minako.  
  
"So maybe someone else should take up the engagement," Makoto suggested. "I mean, he *is* kinda handy to have around." ~Though if he were taller, I'd consider him myself. He's what? Five foot five? Doesn't look a bit like my sempai. It'd sure be handy to have a boy around who wouldn't freak at the stuff we go through.~  
  
Oddly enough, the same thought (more or less) was going through Minako's head.  
  
Though the wind outside briefly picked up and seemed to mutter something about how Sailor Pluto had already staked a claim.  
  
Odd how everyone ignored it. The wind muttered something uncomplimentary about that as well.  
  
--------  
  
Haruka "manfully" bit back a groan.  
  
Getting a hangover would *not* be elegant. Therefore Michiru did not get one. She merely carried herself *very* carefully and flinched at anything approaching a loud noise. As throwing up would also be inelegant, she would absolutely not do such a thing.  
  
Haruka wasn't nearly so elegant, and after having carried Michiru out of the bar, past the gaping hole a car had made out of that one window, had gone from drunk to hung over. Badly hung over. She'd drank alcohol before, of course. Nothing too heavy. Wine with Michiru, beer after a successful race with some of the guys who did *not* find a woman racer a threat to their "manhood", or other such social occasions. Rare occasions to be sure. This beat all of them together without serious competition.  
  
In many ways, their current opinions notwithstanding, it had been Haruka's finest moment so far. She had managed to get herself and Michiru out of a *very* bad situation, where they might easily have been defeated or at least discovered, despite an enormous handicap. (ie: being so drunk that she couldn't walk a straight line if her life had depended on it). The two had collapsed along the side of a drainage ditch, found some measure of refuge under a bridge, and Haruka had spent several long minutes being quite ill.  
  
"I'm not sure what exactly happened," whispered Michiru, who found that everything after they'd decided to visit "Karaoke Underground" had turned to a muddled haze, "but I remember one thing. That chain."  
  
Haruka wasn't sure. There had been something. Maybe. She had been mainly concerned with getting Michiru away from some hentai waitress. Or something like that. Some kid had smashed the window open by driving a car through it, that she clearly remembered. Another spike of pain and nausea kept the sometimes Sailor Uranus from replying other than by grunt.  
  
At this point Haruka didn't care about the Silence, about the guy with the chain, about the girl with the weird hairstyle, or about those hentai waitresses. She wanted some aspirin.   
  
-------------  
  
The conversation had started innocently enough. Grey had asked to be caught up on what had happened before he had met them, specifically what had occurred as far as things like that daimon. He'd pulled out his chain, saying it would help him focus, and if they'd switch to Senshi mode they'd all be speaking the Lunarian language - thereby overcoming the language barrier.  
  
As the group eagerly started off, they'd begun to lose enthusiasm as the boy's expression continued to look more frustrated and upset. Though with one girl interrupting another to correct or expand on points (including Usagi acting out what she felt was a really good pose-and-speech) it took several hours.  
  
The good thing was that the caffeine (and application of warm compresses to afflicted body parts) and cookies had, over those several hours, reduced their invalid status considerably.  
  
"...and then we fought Beryl in her base in the Antarctic...?!"  
  
Nebula took a deep breath to calm himself. "And you're still alive?!"  
  
There were a few guilty and startled looks at that. They had specifically not mentioned that they had all died and then been brought back by the Silver Crystal.   
  
"You're facing an enemy which is trying to kill you, kill civilians, and drain the world of life energy, but you make speeches while posing like a target? And then, when your single consistent strength against these enemies is usually that you outnumber it, you allow yourself to get seperated?" Neither Grey nor Nebula could believe this.   
  
"Well... it worked..." Usagi offered.  
  
"My Princess, truly were you named accurately, for if you didn't have the luck of a rabbit..." Nebula shook his head. "Have you considered scheduling some training trips, become a bit more practiced in your attacks, combining them, using code phrases for specific tactics, maybe attacking your enemy first THEN giving a speech?"  
  
Much blinking. "...but that's how we've always done it..." Usagi finally put in.  
  
"Yeah, we're so good we don't require any of that stuff!" Makoto made a "muscle" gesture.  
  
"Uhm, it's getting late, and I think we ought to get home before much later," Rei pointed out, NOT wanting yet another argument. "That's two attacks from our mysterious enemy, we ought to get Artemis and Luna to input on this."  
  
"'Artemis?!'" Nebula blinked. "How is old Arty? Luna still giving him problems?"  
  
"It's so weird the way you remember this stuff," mumbled Rei. She didn't like this. The boy might be trying to take over. Or maybe he was actually a spy from this new enemy. No, that was silly. If he was a spy for the enemy they wouldn't have woken up. She'd have to get together with everyone tomorrow *without* Ami's fiance around. "Enough, home, now."  
  
----------  
  
Grey had decided to get an early start on it. He was a soldier and a special agent of the Moon Kingdom. Well, actually he was a 15 year old boy about to start a Japanese High School the next day. But he *remembered* being an agent of the Queen and Marine. Well, mostly.  
  
He couldn't use the Chain openly, obviously. A gaijin walking around with a weapon would at the very least draw undesired attention. At worst case, he'd be a matter of public record and his identity known and a draw to the Senshi.  
  
Unfortunately, when the Chain was forged and bonded to Nebula, he'd sacrificed a great deal of esper capability without the Chain.  
  
~At least now i can duck into an alley or restroom, use the Chain, and find my way back to Ami's place. Though i need my passport just to get a #$#@ snack. And what's with the price of food here?! A baked potato costs $4.50 US? Or are they charging me one rate and the locals another?~  
  
The crowd going by didn't pay much attention to him, nor did they really register. Until he saw one fellow, walking out of a bookstore. "-Hey you! Hold it right there! You and me gotta talk!-"  
  
Mamoru Chiba stared as a little fifteen year old boy came stalking up to him under full steam. "-Uhm... You're American?-"  
  
"-And *what* exactly are your intentions towards my daughter?-" The boy held up a finger and stared menacingly up at the sometimes Tuxedo Kamen. "-They'd better be honorable, boyo!-"  
  
"-Errr, your daughter?-" Mamoru felt himself backing up against a wall from this boy's intensity. He didn't personally know any Americans. Edwards was English. A few amused looks from passerby, but mainly they ignored the drama. No help from *that* quarter. "-Aren't you kind of young?-"  
  
"-PRINCESS SERENITY, YOU DOLT!-" The boy shouted (as best as he could considering the size and age difference) in Mamoru's face. "-You'd better start treating her right, Endymion! i've heard of some of your shenanigans!-"  
  
Mamoru blinked. Not necessarily a crazy American after all. Someone who knew his Silver Millenium identity? Who had fathered Serenity? An elusive wisp of a memory provided a name. Queen Serenity had had a consort, then dismissed him. There had been talk about it, apparently the Queen had been developing feelings for the semi-retired soldier, and he'd been banned from the Court. Something about the Queen feeling that feelings for a single man could not be allowed to compete with her devotion to her kingdom. The Consort had been some professional soldier, who'd retired from the "Space Marines" to become the Knight Of Duty. His professional name was "Basalt?" On seeing the boy nod, Mamoru winced. "Oh dear."  
  
--------  
  
School had been the usual bore. Now the study session had become a planning session. Grey had been deliberately excluded from this, as he was a major topic of discussion.  
  
Rei and the others were discussing matters related to Ami and how to deal with it if the boy:  
  
(a) didn't like her anymore because of certain minor problems that *might* have been their fault, (Makoto looked acutely guilty during this phase). Minako slyly suggested that Ami might be able to find a way to make it up to him. This line of teasing was dropped due to Ami turning beet red and panicking at the insinuation.  
  
(b) liked her but didn't like them, due to said problems. Thus posing a danger to the group. (Usagi discounted this immediately - saying her SM Daddy would forgive her. She wasn't too sure about him forgiving Makoto or Rei, but felt she could play mediator. The others weren't as sure about this.)   
  
(c) left and she left to follow, having her family honor tied up in this, after all, and thereby returning to the above said threat to their group. (Ami got thoughtful and started speculating about American medical colleges and studying abroad. After all- in America it was possible to skip grades and she might actually be able to start college soon. Which got everyone else either a) - mooning over how romantic the concept was, or b) panicking about the effect on the team.)  
  
(d) stuck around, but tried to assume leadership of the group at least in combat situations - due to his also having more military experience. (Rei really got ticked at this, Usagi thought about it briefly, and Makoto pointed out his raw power level was insufficient for such a position. On the other hand, Makoto *did* wax poetically about a long training trip.)  
  
(e) stuck around, married Ami, and the two started screwing like crazed rabbits. (Ami curled up in severe embarassment at this suggestion by Minako, mouthing barely heard denials. Oddly enough a really severe wind rattled the shrine office at this point.) Rei pointed out that this also was a threat to the group, as this would also keep Ami from getting out nights. More speculation, severe embarrassment, and denials from Ami about she how she couldn't even think of such things.  
  
(f) stuck around, turned out to be a spy from the new enemy, and Ami (in what everyone would agree would be typical for their sort of adventure) had to kill her fiance in order to save the world. (Or, as Minako put it, "he'll die tragically saving Ami's life - leading to a long tearful goodbye scene." Rei immediately suggested Minako had been reading too much shojo manga.)  
  
They hadn't yet covered why Luna was staring so interestedly at Minako this evening. Or Artemis seemed to regard first Makoto and then Rei and seemed to be in deep thought. That Minako was smiling suggestively and contemplating Rei, especially after asking if Rei had changed her mind and now *was* interested in Yuuichiro, and the chuckle upon hearing Rei's denial, that could have indicated something dangerous. Usagi repeatedly suggesting that Makoto should "kiss and make up" with Grey after her little fight, well, that *might* have tripped a few alarms.  
  
There were also the issues of the New Enemy, the odd behavior of Sailor Pluto earlier (immediately discounted - the age difference was too extreme, Pluto *had* to have made a mistake), their enhanced busts (Rei, Minako, and Usagi wanted to keep them. Ami worried about the long term health effects of going from an A cup to almost a C. Rei, Usagi, and Minako all felt that having attained a C cup, they looked far more adult and alluring. Makoto had decided to try and have the effect dispelled as this would interfere with wearing kimonos.) Usagi's inability to transform (following that attack on her brooch from Mikuji), and (Ami stressing this last) High School Entry Exams.   
  
Which was when a twenty-one year old girl came to the shrine office to buy a good luck charm and got a LOT of staring.  
  
------------  
  
"-She did *that*?!-" Grey shook his head. "-Dang.-"  
  
"-Afraid so. Things haven't run too smoothly between us.-" Mamoru flicked a crumb towards one of the pigeons.  
  
"-The Italian word for pigeon is 'sky rat' and i have yet to see anything good come of the breed.-" Grey glared at the little red-eyed creatures. "-Try cleaning up after the little buggers for any length of time and see if you remain at all fond of them.-"  
  
"-I realize I haven't been an *ideal* suitor for Usako.-"  
  
"-Nevermind, Endymion. i heard about you back in the Kingdom. Don't even know if there *is* an ideal suitor. From what you've told me and Ser... Usagi's told me, you've had as many good times as bad. You're the only remaining prince, she's *the* princess. Just one question.-"  
  
Mamoru Chiba winced. Here it came. It was traditional for fathers in the Moon Kingdom to set some task or quest for suitors of their daughters. He expected this one would be a doozy. "-Yes?-"  
  
"-Do you love her?-"  
  
Mamoru closed his eyes and sat back against the bench. "-Yes. I love Usako. Whatever we may have been a lifetime ago, isn't as important as what Usagi and I have now.-"  
  
Grey nodded. "-Good enough. I just wonder which father will give away the bride? Or do the Japanese do it differently?-"  
  
"-What?!-" Mamoru sat upright. "-I thought you'd give me a quest for permission.-"  
  
Grey snorted. "-Yeah right. You've already been through enough to qualify as a Quest. If we have to go through the custom... Do you think you can brain that pigeon with that piece of pretzel?-"  
  
*WHAP!*  
  
"-Good shot, Chiba-san!-"  
  
"-I'm better with roses.-"  
  
---------  
  
"Uhm, what are the prices on good luck charms?" The young lady inquired, looking a little self-conscious with all the staring going on.  
  
"No way," breathed Usagi.  
  
"Oh my," indicated Ami.  
  
Luna merely freaked, having heard the story. ~Nebula must be given a talking to!~  
  
"You're 'Biiru' aren't you?" Usagi asked the daimon. Spirit. Whatever she was.  
  
"Unnn," agreed the blonde with a nod. "Oh! You're the girls who visited the other night! I recognize 'Teapot' over there!"  
  
Rei had this sudden sinking feeling, though much of yesterday was just a blurry muddle. She had some strange feeling that maybe she ought to hide. Now.  
  
The youma/daimon/whatever rooted around briefly in her purse. "I made a copy just in case... Here ya go!"  
  
Usagi practically leapt across and grabbed the videotape, seconds before Rei could reach it.   
  
"A 'copy' of a video tape?" Ami frowned slightly. Though Biiru *did* seem both nicer and more articulate than her brief glimpse from yesterday.  
  
"Oh yes, your boyfriend was most enlightening on this concept of 'proper behavior' and 'moral responsibility' - imagine that." Biiru nodded with a smile. "Where I was summoned from, we didn't have such things."  
  
"Go figure," mumbled Rei, eyeing the video in Usagi's hands.  
  
"So we've made plenty of copies using the equipment left behind. Practically everyone who was there wanted a copy!" Biiru smiled pleasantly.   
  
There was a brief moment of peace, while Rei sold a "Good Luck On Your New Business" charm to Biiru, then a mad scramble for the VCR.  
  
----------  
  
"-Uhm, so what about you and Ami?-" Mamoru was amused by the thought that Princess Serenity's father was engaged to one of Usagi's best friends. That he'd be sticking around and keeping an eye on Mamoru's relationship with his reborn daughter, much less amusing.  
  
"-What about me and Ami?-" Grey shook his head. "-i don't think she likes me much.-"  
  
"-Still, from what I understand, her family honor depends on her marrying you.-" Mamoru looked at the younger boy, seeing a struggle on his face.  
  
"-Is family honor so much more important than her own happiness? She hasn't talked much to me at all since we've met.-" Grey let out a deep breath. "-Admittedly, that bit yesterday at the karaoke place was mainly because of that weird girl, but she just ain't interested.-"  
  
Mamoru was quite aware that Usagi and himself were a Fated Couple. He was also quite aware of lingering glances from more than one of the other Senshi, and Rei had flirted more than a few times with him. There was *no way* he was going to pass up an opportunity to deflect some attention away from himself. "-Maybe what's needed is a different atmosphere. I know a British gentleman named 'Edwards-san' who will be throwing a party soon. Perhaps if you spent some time with Ami in an environment that was more conducive to romance...-"  
  
Grey considered for a moment, then shrugged. "-What have i got to lose?-"  
  
Mamoru nodded. ~And if Ami remains uninterested, maybe I can get Rei a nice boyfriend and she'll quit eyeing me like that!~  
  
Grey stopped and turned to face a building. "-What the heck?!-"  
  
Mamoru eyed the building himself, frowning. "-What is it?-"  
  
"-There's a feeling. Similar to the impression i got from that girl. We ought to check it out.-"  
  
"-Uhm, actually we shouldn't. That's a 'love hotel'.-"  
  
"-You mean it's... oh. 'Rooms by the hour' huh?-"   
  
"-If you think it's important,-" Mamoru suggested, thinking that this could *really* deflect attention of this sort away from him, "-you and Ami should check it out. With your esper abilities and her computer, you're sure to turn something up.-"  
  
Grey wondered what that odd premonition of doom was from.  
  
-----------  
  
Ami stared.   
  
Rei was being forcibly restrained by Makoto, her initial shriek and attempt to beat on Usagi would have meant they'd never have seen the rest of the tape.  
  
"I'm a little teapot,  
short and stout,  
This is my handle,  
this is my spout."  
  
"Bwahahahahahaha!" *Clunk!* Usagi's reaction was also quite predictable.  
  
"Rei, other people have seen this tape. If you destroy it, we won't know what they're seeing."  
  
"I don't care, Makoto! AhhhhhH!"  
  
"Hahaha AAAAAA!"  
  
"Wow! Usagi. I never expected THAT!"  
  
"Two little maids from school are we,  
Pert as a school-girl well can be,  
Filled to the brim with girlish glee!"  
  
Ami was likewise impressed. Usagi and Rei knew Gilbert & Sullivan? Though the original was 'Three Little Girls From School' not two. And the original was in English, whereas they were singing the equivelant in Japanese. Still, it was better than she expected.  
  
Usagi (on screen): "Everything is a source of fun!"  
  
Rei (on screen): "Nobody's safe 'cause we care for none!"  
  
Both (on screen): "Life is a joke that's just begun!"  
  
Rei and Usagi stared in horror as the two girls on screen fell backwards off the stage and were only visible by their legs sticking straight up.  
  
"UsaGI," said Rei in a dangerous tone.  
  
"Rei-chan?" Usagi looked unusually dangerous as well.  
  
"We burn that videotape."  
  
"Right, Rei-chan!"  
  
"But there are other copies of this out there," Makoto pointed out. Then saw what was on the screen. "EEEEEP!"  
  
"...if this becomes public knowledge, the Sailor Senshi will *never* live this down." Luna was somewhat distressed at seeing three of the Princesses getting kissed and laid tenderly down on the ground by their opponents.  
  
Then...  
  
"Well at least Nebula knew how to counter their attacks," suggested Artemis.  
  
"Okay, so he's walking around, he's using the phone? Oh, calling Ami's mom? That makes sense. Pity we can't hear him."  
  
"Actually, that's good," Ami indicated. "Otherwise everyone seeing this tape would know that he was calling my mother to drive the Senshi home."  
  
"Oh right," Rei said, hanging her head at having missed that. Maybe Usagi *was* contagious.  
  
"Awwwwwwww!" Usagi gushed as Nebula tenderly picked up the snoring Sailor Mercury, and brushed hair from her face. Ami merely went into severe embarassed mode.  
  
The tape ended as an unconscious Senshi was put into a chair, a forehead lightly kissed.   
  
Everyone glanced towards Ami. Who had now passed Severe on her scale of embarassment. Seeing everyone staring at her, Ami was quick to say something. "There's really nothing between us! I-I-I-I'm sure he was just concerned... I mean it's nothing special, just an arrangement between families. That's all!"  
  
Minako raised an eyebrow at Ami. "Ami-chan, if a boy was *that* nice to me, had even a tentative omiai relationship towards me, and was as useful, we'd be picking out wallpaper about now." Minako surreptiously looked towards Rei and was gratified to see the frown on the other girl's face. ~Heh heh. The seed has been planted.~  
  
Makoto frowned slightly. Sure the boy wasn't even as strong as Tuxedo Kamen, and he certainly wasn't tall or handsome, but that briefly seen indication of caring and affection. Heck, if it had happened to *her* and she'd been engaged to the boy, she doubted she'd be mumbling denials like Ami was.   
  
Rei also frowned slightly as she watched Ami twist and deny that she had any romantic feelings for this American. ~He *was* American, and therefore not Shinto. Still, if the engagement could be switched to Makoto... a nice Shinto wedding could be planned. Hmmm. How to do it?~  
  
***  
  
Mimette wept. Silently, but she wept.  
  
The other members of the Witches 5 did their best to ignore her.   
  
Mimette's arms and legs had been melded with the stone of the wall at the elbows and knees. After she'd started weeping and pleading, the Wizard had removed her voice.  
  
Yes, the other members of the Witches 5 *tried* to ignore Mimette. It was way too easy to imagine themselves in that position. It was even easier to picture what had happened to the Professor happening to them.  
  
"Eudial. Report."   
  
The Witch swallowed uneasily, and tried to focus on the task at hand. "I bought the location with funds that you provided. I currently have taken my Midnight Heart Crystal and set it up within that building only a few blocks from the Tokyo Tower. It is currently set to drain the emotions of those within, then reinvest 10% of that into the single emotion that such an environment can best cultivate. There are four specialized Spirits enspelled via the ritual and bound to the building. Energy harvesting the first day was good, and shows every sign of increasing in number daily."  
  
"Hmmmm," the Wizard looked over the figures. "Good. Good. A *much* better job than Mimette. And your plans should the Senshi or their allies come calling?"  
  
Eudial frowned, disliking this, but not wanting to join the Professor *or* Mimette. "Per your instructions, nothing fatal. Neither the customers nor these 'heroes' will be harmed irreperably."  
  
"We can hope then, that you will not follow Mimette's lead?" The Wizard smirked. "In the meantime, in the interest of spreading Chaos and Destruction, I have released a few summoned beasts in other areas."  
  
Terurun held up her hand, glancing back at Mimette and shuddering. She wanted to be *darn* sure that she didn't end up like that. "Other areas?"  
  
"Hong Kong is currently facing a Lemurian Hydra. In Beijing, a creature known as an Invisible Stalker. A Tarrasque in Reyjavik. Giant venomous spiders in Liverpool. A flock of Wyverns in New York. A few Basilisk in Baghdad. Minor problems that they will undoubtably deal with given time."  
  
There were a few sweatdrops at the "minor problems" label.  
  
"Tomorrow, I'll drop a few Fomorians into Ireland. Perhaps a swarm of Gibberlings into Paris or an Iron Golem could stir things up in Sri Lanka."  
  
"Why those areas?"  
  
The Wizard glanced at Eudial for asking the question. "Random targets, excepting that they have high populations. Therefore a fair amount of victims. It will take the normal forces some time to deal with these problems, causing erosion of confidence by the public in those forces. Once they've stirred things up, we can take advantage of the chaos."  
  
"Ah," said Kaolinite, not happy about any of this but not willing to join the Professor. Besides, there might be a way to restore him and she needed to remain free for that.  
  
"Oh, and I have changed my mind about one thing. We will also be using the Eggs Of Daimon to go out and attack people, however I have taken the liberties of enhancing them somewhat." The Wizard pointed. "They still look pretty silly, but they won't be stealing any 'pure hearts' or any other silly portion of the akashic pattern. Any guesses?"  
  
"Energy? Life force? Emotions?" Terurun asked.  
  
"Will? Souls? Humanity?" Yuri Viluy suggested.  
  
"Money? Pride? Strength?" Cyprine added.  
  
The Wizard nodded. "Yes. To start with."  
  
-----------  
  
"Little girl. Okay you is?"  
  
The girl jumped. "Ah ah ah. I'm fine, really!"  
  
Grey smiled at her, bowing, then putting a hand in a pocket. Play a hunch, bet a bunch. "Sorry miss, but you don't look so okay. You look pretty hungry. How about i buy you one of those sweet potatos from that stall?"  
  
The girl frowned, there was something strange about the stranger's Japanese. But he was a gaijin so maybe that was to be expected. Her stomach, protesting that she hadn't had anything to eat in over 24 hours, chose that moment to become very vocal.   
  
He chuckled and smiled, then inclined his head towards the vendor.  
  
Hotaru finally nodded, but was sufficiently weak she had to be helped towards the stand.  
  
Grey doubted if she even realized he had spoken Lunarian.  
  
=================  
  
i've been told Grey's a wimp. Well, at least it's a break from the all-powerful SI then, ne?  
  



	5. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 5

  
A Soldier's Duty  
  
Fourth Labor, chapter 5  
  
"They're all idiots." - Ruri Hoshino  
  
  
-------  
  
The meeting had predictably broken up.  
  
Usagi was predictably upbeat. Princess Serenity had been united with her father. And it had only taken 100,000 years (more or less) to do it! Now if only Ami could teach him Japanese!  
  
Luna walked home with Minako, particularly as Artemis had walked off with Makoto for some odd reason. Both had long conversations that were meant to be subtle placing of hints that, gee, wouldn't it be nice if there was someone around who could pick up that nice young Knight after Ami dumped him.  
  
Ami had walked home, deep in thought, still adding and subtracting from the minus and plus columns. Like Makoto, she would prefer a taller boy. Like Minako, she'd prefer a handsome boy. Like Rei, she'd prefer a *Japanese* boy. On the other hand, he *was* nice and his talents were (like her own) handy in a support role. And so on she went, adding things into the plus and minus columns. Thinking of the whole sordid mess as a logic problem.  
  
Mamoru ran across (not literally, thankfully) Usagi and mentioned that he had fulfilled Japanese tradition in one respect - by getting her father's permission to court his daughter. Usagi reacted to this in exactly the sort of manner one would expect and managed to get some quality snuggling time in. During which time a tear from Usagi touched her transformation brooch and restored it, getting her the Spiral Heart Moon Rod. Cue more intense snuggling time.  
  
Kumori Mizuno decided her daughter was old enough, it was bound to happen with those two lovebirds anyway, and bought Ami a "family planning kit." Naturally, she didn't say a word to anyone else about it. Nurses being nurses, the story made the rounds anyway. About Mizuno-sensei's daughter and that gaijin doing THAT. Some of the hospital employees were sympathetic, some envious, some decided that the next time the girl came by she'd get a few "gifts" and advice.  
  
Minako realized that she'd forgotten completely about her father's talk with her. Ami had dumped Grey-san, and he'd STILL been that nice to her. So, if a girl were actually responsive to things like affection... gee. He wasn't tall. He wasn't handsome. He wasn't Japanese. However, he *was* available. And it would be for the good of the team if the Senshi of Love scored a boyfriend! Or something like that.  
  
In other words, there wasn't much happening in Azabu Juuban at the moment. Unless you happened to be at the Tokyo Tower that is.  
  
---------  
  
"-It's the bloody Eiffel Tower!-" Grey looked it over. Near as he could tell it was to scale. "-What is it with the Japanese? If they like something they copy it and make it theirs?-"  
  
Hotaru opened her mouth to protest, thought about it, then shrugged. She hadn't understood everything he'd said anyway.  
  
A TV next to a food pushcart near the Tower entry caught Grey's eye. "-A Godzilla movie? Dang, the special effects are *really* good on that one!-"  
  
Hotaru glanced that way, neither noticing it was CNN, her stomach rumbling again as the scent of roasted ears of corn reached her.  
  
Grey sighed. With the price of food the way it was, his savings were getting a merciless beating. Still, he paid the money. ($6.95?!) Then motioned to a bench. "So, Tomoe-san, you come with me? Friend is doctor. Speak she better also Japanese." He didn't think he'd be able to get much in the way of details out of her. Her English wasn't very good, and he knew darn well that his attempts to speak Japanese were causing stoic Japanese businessmen to wince.  
  
Hotaru blushed, thinking all sorts of things involving princes riding up on white horses. Okay, he wasn't a *handsome* prince. And they were both walking. But where else could she go?  
  
"AAAAAA! It's a monster!"  
  
Grey blinked and held up a hand. "Right back be I will. Stay you here?!"  
  
--------  
  
Hotaru nodded, a little puzzled. Then watched the boy limp off quickly towards a porta-john. Then she saw the monster. It was... pretty tacky looking actually. Sort of a woman wearing a weird costume, looking vaguely like something out of a Tarazakura stage production, or maybe a cheesy sentai flick.  
  
The tourists were screaming and running away. The yattai owners were panicking. Hotaru sighed and hid behind a bench. Why couldn't she have a *normal* life?  
  
"MINOTAURA!"  
  
And if she was going to be menaced, couldn't it be something other than a twelve foot tall buxom girl with horns on her head and a tail? Couldn't it be something a little less silly?  
  
Minotaura chose that moment to charge one of the yattai, Hotaru couldn't help but notice that it sold beef bowls, and began smashing the place up. Some idle part of her mind wondered if the cow-girl had lost a relative lately.  
  
*SCHING!*  
  
A dull grey chain whipped out of nowhere, grabbed a flying beef bowl, and set it on the ground in front of Hotaru. This naturally got Hotaru's attention.  
  
The chain shortened again, as a guy in some kind of Musketeer's uniform walked out, adjusted his hat, and said something that sounded like a complaint about "damn uniforms designed for show as opposed to function."   
  
The minotaur girl growled at the guy.  
  
"Don't blame me. i don't eat beef anyway." The guy shrugged. "Stomach problems, what can i say?"  
  
Hotaru had never seen a cow-girl facefault. She felt like doing it herself when the cowgirl imbedded her horns in the concrete and spent a few moments getting herself unstuck.  
  
"i don't expect you'll just quietly go away or let yourself be arrested?" The guy stepped forward and to the right, drawing attention away from the girl behind the bench.  
  
Hotaru blinked between bites of her beef bowl. That limp. That very noticeable limp.  
  
"MIN O TAURA!" The minotaura pawed the ground and lowered her head.  
  
"That sounded like a no. Pity." The guy sounded like he regretted it, continuing to move away from Hotaru. Hotaru blinked as she realized that the chain being dragged on the ground behind the guy was actually lengthening. "Why can't more 'enemies of humanity' be reasonable about the whole thing? Get together, discuss our differences over a cup of hot tea, maybe avoid this whole 'turn into moon dust' thing?"  
  
Hotaru looked behind the guy with the chain and froze. What was that guy with the camera doing?  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
Grey blinked, having been concentrating on the girl in the minotaur costume. A civilian? "Excuse me, but you really ought to get to..."  
  
*FLASH!*  
  
"...safety... Now THAT wasn't..." The guy started rubbing his eyes.  
  
"TAURA!" The daimon charged across the space, slamming into the guy with the chain and sending him flying. She then trampled the old man with the camera.  
  
Hotaru realized that the cow-girl was looking around for another target. Then nearly coughed up another mouthful of beefbowl as she realized that she was looking for *her.*  
  
"Ouch. Hardly my finest hour." The guy leapt down from where he'd landed. "Eeep!"  
  
Hotaru winced. The guy was limping worse than ever now.  
  
"TAURA!" The daimon glowed briefly, then doubled in size.  
  
"Oh... CRAP!" The guy sent the chain looping out like a tentacle. It repeatedly thwacked against the youma without much apparent effect. "DOUBLE CRAP!"  
  
Hotaru watched as her sempai continued to get beaten on, still trying to draw attention away from her. Wincing at the force of some of those impacts, she wished she could do something. If Hotaru had realized her eyes were beginning to glow purple, she might have been even more concerned.  
  
"dead. scream."  
  
---------  
  
Ami reached the apartment and noticed that Shard-san had not returned yet.  
  
That was all right. Ami had come to a decision on the way. She hadn't been too happy with suddenly being cornered with this engagement. However, even though she apparently had nothing in common with Shard-san, she would give this engagement a try.  
  
Her Sailor Communicator trilled, breaking this line of thought.  
  
"Ami!" Rei's face showed on the display. "Check the TV!"  
  
"What channel," asked Ami, looking for the remote.  
  
"All of 'em! I'm still trying to reach the others! Bye!"  
  
Ami wondered what could be going on. *click* Godzilla movie? Must be a new one, the special effects were pretty good. *click* Another one, except this looked more like a daimon. And fighting it was...  
  
"Nebula-san?!" Ami turned the sound up.  
  
Announcer: "Oooh, would you look at that! The mysterious musketeer has just been kicked into the Tokyo Tower itself. He's returning to the fray. He appears to be trying to lead the monster into an... oh! Now he's been trampled under her hooves. Oh, that's GOT to hurt! Now the mysterious youth is being slung around like a rag doll! Ohh! Another devastating wrestling move from Ms Youma!"  
  
Announcer#2: "Can we have an instant replay and close up? That's blood from the boy's mouth, Shiro. This fight is almost over! Clearly a *very* disappointing showing from the Good Guys."  
  
Announcer #1: "Well, he *is* kind of young. Oh dear. Thrown through a port-a-potty. Well, look at it this way, young hero. Your career can only go up from here!"  
  
Announcer #2: "Wait a minute, an ally has appeared! It's a woman in a *very* short skirt. Can we get a close up of this?"  
  
Ami blinked, her transformation pen out and ready to be used. Except that getting to the Tokyo Tower, with traffic the way it was now, was likely to take at least twenty minutes. And what the heck was going on *now*?!  
  
-------  
  
A 50ft long reptillian beast went through the city of Reyjavik in Iceland much in the manner of countless Japanese monster movies. Most of the other stories were dismissed as "Supermarket Tabloid" tales, but the wreckage and destruction caused by the "Reyjavik Dinosaur" were sufficient to get on CNN. Paleontologists were quick to point out that it was *not* a dinosaur, but everyone pretty much ignored them.  
  
A set of monkeylike creatures infested the tunnels beneath Paris. They became the center of debate between groups that wanted them killed, wanted them studied, or wanted them captured and released into their natural habit. It was also discovered that while they ate "everything" they came across, their digestion was not up to handling a lot of typical French food. Many died from intestinal gas, the rest adapted.  
  
The New York wyverns had settled into Central Park and were now the subject of similar debate.  
  
The Wizard looked at the reports from the various news agencies and frowned slightly. The gibberlings he'd expected to be wiped out. Not become a political argument between environmentalists and other special interest groups. The Lemurian Hydra had been killed, and used as an excuse by the Chinese to move a few tanks in prior to the British handing over Hong Kong to the mainland.  
  
The spiders were being hunted down rapidly in Liverpool. Axes and clubs worked fine on them.  
  
So far, the only one that had gone as planned was the Tarrasque, and IT would go dormant soon. The creature did massive amounts of damage but was only active for one week out of fifty years. Not that it would last *that* long. The summoning spell used for it didn't last more than a day.  
  
Of the basilisks and stalker, there was not a peep on any news channel.  
  
Clearly, harsher measures would need to be taken.  
  
The Wizard considered the Eggs of Daimon briefly. What would happen if one combined an Egg of Daimon with a summoned monster? The idea had taken hold and he'd conducted an experiment using a simple cow. So far, the results seemed... interesting.  
  
And if a cow had proven so entertaining, then what if he used something more powerful to begin with. Or even... The Professor looked at where Mimette was imbedded in the wall. Perhaps if she failed him again.  
  
---------  
  
Sailor Pluto dodged the charging minotaur, whose momentum took the daimon entirely through a parked bus.  
  
"Puu-chan!" Nebula limped to a position nearby, not noticing the effect her pet-name had on the Senshi of Time. "She's too tough to beat with simple attacks. Do you remember that combined manuever we worked out?"  
  
Sailor Pluto flushed slightly. The night before Serenity had commanded her to guard the Gate of Time and let no one near. When she'd been held in his arms, and they had... practiced attacks. She'd estimated that in another two nights, at most, the Knight would have been ready to share rather more than his friendship. Sailor Pluto nodded, hoping that her backup plan would work.  
  
Nebula wondered why Pluto was blushing. Well, they *had* gotten rather close then. Too bad she had gone off to guard the Time Gate. He'd obviously misunderstood her prior to that, because if she had been serious about the relationship she would have at least left a letter. Or sent one.  
  
"TIME!" Pluto held her staff up, summoning power around her.  
  
Nebula stepped close to the Time Senshi and sent a loop of chain around the staff. "CUTTER!"  
  
Minotaura shrugged aside the pieces of bus, noticing that there was a moon-crescent shaped blade heading towards her. She blocked.  
  
The blade cut through Minotaura's arm, punched through her chest, and finally emerged on the far side. "Baka na..."  
  
The daimon dissolved, leaving a thoroughly confused cow.  
  
Sailor Pluto relaxed slightly. Time to go, she still had so much to do...  
  
"Puu-chan?"  
  
The voice caused the calm, confident, dignified, mysterious Wielder of the Time Staff to resist the sudden urge to throw herself crying into a certain individual's arms. Only the cameras and their age/height discrepancies stopped her though.   
  
"i'm so glad you survived, Puu-chan. Oh, sorry, Sailor Pluto." Nebula finished retracting the Chain. "You probably don't remember me that well."  
  
Sailor Pluto smirked. "Better than you might think."  
  
Nebula looked off to the side. "Why didn't you write? No, never mind. Presumptuous of me. Let's get together soon when the crowd of camera-pushers aren't present, shall we?"  
  
Sailor Pluto nodded, hope flaring brightly within her heart as she stepped within the space of a few seconds. She was still his "Puu-chan"? Better than she had expected.  
  
Nebula hobbled off at high speed, well, relatively. Grey emerged from the bushes to limp near Hotaru.  
  
"Well, Hotaru-chan, time we go now is. Doctor get you to."  
  
Hotaru looked over the boy, wondered where he stored that chain or those silly clothes, and nodded. She'd have to talk to him about that, maybe something in spandex.  
  
--------  
  
Ami sat down. That had been her fiance. Being beaten silly. By a silly looking youma. Thinking about it, most of their enemies *had* been powerful but tacky at the very least. Ami had a sudden vision of Queen Beryl, but instead of trying to destroy the world, trying to force people to wear really bad fashions. Then shook her head, wondering if it was from seeing her fiance beaten on...  
  
internationally broadcast TV?! Oh dear.   
  
Her Sailor Communicator started trilling again. This time Ami Mizuno, Sailor Mercury, decided not to answer it. Let the others get the post-fight analysis out of their system. Ami needed a nice cool swim to relax and think things over. Yes, that sounded nice.  
  
--------  
  
Grey wondered WHAT all the whispering from the nurses was about. Or why Hotaru looked shocked at some of things being said.  
  
"-Ah, Grey-san. Good to see you, who's your little friend?-" Kumori Mizuno was, by specialty, a pediatrician. Therefore she immediately started diagnosing the moment she saw the little Goth girl.   
  
"-Hotaru Tomoe. i don't understand her too well, but apparently she's been on the streets homeless since some sort of explosion destroyed her home.-"  
  
Kumori considered that for a moment, then started talking to the little girl in rapid Japanese that Grey couldn't follow. As he was gently shoved out the door so that the doctor could examine her patient, it was just as well.  
  
He spent a lot of time fidgeting, looking over the magazines in the waiting area, and noting that they seemed to be the same boring sort that were in doctor's lobbies in the US. Perhaps it was one of those Universal Unwritten Laws?  
  
After Grey had been fidgeting for some time, some nurse walked up, winked at him, and handed him a plain brown wrapper. Inside were two books. Hmmm. Well, he'd look them over later.  
  
"-Ah, Grey-san, would you mind coming in here?-"  
  
Hearing the doctor's voice again, Grey entered. Hotaru was blushing and studying her shoes, whereas Doctor Mizuno was looking... amused and concerned?  
  
"-First off, Grey-san, I take it this is another of your friends from the previous life?-" Mizuno-sensei sat back against the desk and smiled at the little girl.  
  
"-i think so. Though i can't place her. There's also something dark and nasty associated with her, but it seems to be sleeping for now. She may have been with the Enemy.-" Grey considered briefly. "-However, she's currently *not* an enemy. Just a little girl who apparently has gotten mixed up in all this.-"  
  
"-Well, she was apparently didn't eat for a day, then had too much to eat all at once. She's having some indigestion as a result. She spent the night outside, and is running a slight fever. I'd want to keep her overnight, but there might be questions asked that would be awkward for you and my daughter.-"  
  
"-Actually, i'd like to suggest keeping her overnight. Tomorrow i can ask one of Ami's friends to keep an eye on her, until we find out more at least. Maybe Sailor Moon can heal her.-"  
  
Doctor Mizuno tried not to pounce on that. If Sailor Moon were, as she certainly suspected now, one of Ami's friends, and Sailor Moon could *heal* people. It would certainly be something to study. Just studying the before and after on a patient could provide clues as to healing diseases with more conventional methods. "-Uhm, yes, I suppose that might be so. After you do, well, maybe I should check her over again.-"  
  
"-Well in that case.-" Grey winced as he put pressure on his leg again. "-Actually, the way this leg is getting stiff, i think i'd better call it a day and working on that chi trance stuff some more. Oh, and if i may. i think Ami's going to be late with her friends tonight. Mind if i make some dinner?-"  
  
"-Go ahead. Ami could use a break from sandwiches.-" Doctor Mizuno said, switching to Japanese and addressing the little girl. "Hotaru-chan, Grey-san here is going to take you home overnight. We'll try to work out other arrangements tomorrow."   
  
Hotaru blinked shyly and considered her feet, nodding. "Thank you, doctor. I, eh, really don't want to be alone right now."  
  
"That's okay, dear. My daughter should be home by now and can help keep you company." ~It'll do her some good to be around patients, and the two lovebirds could use a chaperone for now.~ The doctor wondered briefly about Hotaru's look of disappointment, but decided that the ten year old just had a crush on her savior. She'd grow out of it, of course.  
  
"Go we should, Hotaru-chan." Grey wondered why the doctor winced and Hotaru blushed. Had he mangled that short phrase or encountered another double meaning? Why did Japanese have to be so difficult?!  
  
--------  
  
Elsewhere:  
  
The Heart of Darkest Chocolate was a happy place.  
  
A kind fairy had (in order to pay off a tremendous bill of sweetened sugar plums) remade the fairly drab original building into a three layer structure in the shape of an ice cream sundae - Chocolate flavored. With sprinkles.  
  
The first floor was where most of the casual business was done. Where Skuld or someone (there were surprisingly many like her) absolutely *had* to have their dose before they could go on with their lives or busy schedules. This level and the grounds beyond had been sculpted as the bowl for this three story concoction. With walls made out of clear crystal it was about as bright as the drow proprietress could easily stand, and done up in themes not unlike a soda bar back from the days on Earth when jerk meant the man who pulled the lever to mix the Coca Cola in the glass with the lemon flavoring and charged you a nickel.  
  
Edema's den (being the owner she chose which areas she wanted to work and got the odd young Valkyrie or heroine or Spirit to help out on the first floor) was up an easy ramp (to accommodate those races without easy use of stairs). This, the second level, was easier on her eyes by nature of the chocolate covered glass that made up the walls. Here there were tables and setups for the customers that wanted to linger longer than Skuld crowd of "breeze in, chow down, pay up and scram out."  
  
By nature of the darker light it was also something of a lover's meeting place, with enough other traffic to keep the nuzzling down to mainly hands held and soft gazes over the tops of heaping bowls of frosty pleasure - which the drow proprietress preferred as it kept the odd outraged godly parent from blowing her shop to smithereens in a fit a pique. It would be a pain to rebuild it as regularly as, for example, the Raging Wombat Tavern.  
  
The third level was reserved for special customers. Considering the number of gods, servants of the Most High, goddesses, messengers, giants, fairy, heroes, and whatnot that breeze by and consider only the best their due (though not as many as you'd think, there were classier places and Edema preferred a little milder group of key clientele), she'd found early on that advertising that the third floor was special only guaranteed that it would be crammed full of ego cases that on the whole she didn't like.  
  
Thus the third floor was named the Spare Linen and Wash Room.  
  
No walking ego worth the name would demand to be seated in the Spare Linen and Wash room, nor were any heroes likely to lurk there, as this wasn't the hideout of an Evil Villain. Edema lived almost nine blocks away and her home was listed quite openly and had flower deliveries three times a day (once before she left for work, so she could drop them off with children she met on the way, once after she left work for the same reason while she took strolls in local parks, and a last one so she could freshen her window boxes and vases throughout the house. The last hero to sneak in had developed an allergy to pollen and had to leave for six weeks sick vacation).  
  
A kind goddess had even staked a 'Not An Evil Villain' sign near the front porch for her, to cut down on any misunderstandings.  
  
Thus, Edema's private room was almost that: Private. Anyone clever enough to figure out that, in spite of the top level being called the Spare Linen and Wash Room it was *also* a special place where Edema invited her most treasured friends and thus possibly the best room in the store, were quite clever enough to figure out that if they weren't invited they weren't welcome. And if not they would listen to an explanation.  
  
Mostly.  
  
The drow sorceress was relaxing on the lush cushions of a bowl-shaped loveseat, bathed in the multicolor glow from the colored sprinkles the fairy had embedded in the chocolate brown dark walls. Fountains and waterfalls fell musically into pools lit by bright spots of rainbow light from those same sprinkles, and the red glow of the cherry atop the building mixed to make exactly the sort of spot Edema herself luxuriated in. Sensual and Sweet.  
  
Eating a parfait she could close her eyes and imagine she was owner of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory (Heaven, Third Layer, Childrens' Paradise Division, next door to Candyland. She bought many of her supplies there).  
  
Edema's eyes tightened as she recalled and tried to forget again *why* it was she was in here. The latest load of barbarians had come in fresh from dying heroically burning their neighbors and just been dropped off by the Valkyries. Due to a misunderstanding about local laws they'd asked immediately on their arrival where they could get a drink and had unfortunately asked one of the Sugar Plum Fairies. It turned out they'd no sooner hefted a mug than well over half had been revealed to have horrible sweet teeth that needed a lifetime's worth of remedying.  
  
There was a limit to how rowdy a group of hairy northern barbarians could get on milkshakes, but their singing was getting on her nerves.   
  
A flame-haired head poked in, grinning triumphantly. "Hello there."  
  
Edema frowned, pouting in good southern style, and lazily hefted a finger his way and back toward the door. "Dahlin, the 'Good Time' y'all promised to have heah nevah included seein little ol' me. Git outta heah. Ah need mah privacy." The accent was heavy as this kind of intrusion was welcomed less than usual. It had, after all, been the sort of day where that tiny little knot of tension was forming that irritating ache just above and between her shoulder blades.  
  
His eyes sparkled in that way that just advertised he felt by obeying he could tease her more than staying, but before he could withdraw she'd caught that and stated. "Stop. Ah changed mah mind. What's on yer mind, Sugar?"  
  
Eyes twinkling, the Pheonix Mage stepped more fully through the wall into her sanctum and, hands held behind his back, began an exaggerated stroll through the room as if screaming that he had a secret that he was just *dying* to relay. "Oooh, nuthing much. Just completed a little trip to the Abyss, that's all."  
  
Golden eyes in a dark face under white hair went slitted.  
  
The Mage wasn't to be rushed. He seated himself opposite her and took a spoonful out of a pudding dish he'd purchased downstairs on his way up, licking the flavor around inside his mouth for as long as her thin patience could be played with.  
  
He spoke just a moment before she could, his eyes dancing. "Had a little errand. You see, back in mortality I'd long ago made a rather frivolous wish that earned me the undying enmity of Lolth. A little matter of sunlight spilling into all the drow caverns at an inconvenient time and just happening to wipe out all drow civilization on my planet of origin."  
  
Having him intrude into her private sanctum in order to brag about destroying large segments of her race didn't improve her mood even slightly. Even if the line about sunlight slaying them indicated that these drow weren't of her own variety.  
  
Teasing was suspended and his gaze melted to gaze softly and full of kindness upon her. "I hear you'd had your own run ins with agents of that witch."  
  
The kindness was unexpected, less so from him. She was taken aback but Edema rallied quickly.  
  
"So I though you might like to know I killed her." The Mage finished idly, with a shrug and mild tone that *almost* succeeded in disguising his statement as one of no consequence.  
  
Before Edema could pick her jaw up out of her parfait on the table the Pheonix Mage had removed a heavily enchanted slender dagger of elvan work from out of his robes and slid it hilt-first across to her. "I shattered her soul amulet with that dagger. Now my gift to you."  
  
Edema was sputtering, trying to sit upright in her overstuffed cushions.  
  
The Bright Elf's eyes were alight with a terrible mischief, as he too rose. "But I'm NOT gunna tell ya the *STORY!*" He singsonged, dancing away and diving out through her wall trailing teasing laughter behind.  
  
For a moment it was all Edema could do not to drop into a facefault, proving she'd spent *entirely* too much time watching Grey muck about in those anime timelines. Not only were those walls *supposed* to be proof against teleportation and phasing magic, but a terrible flaw of Edema's had been her own curiosity. The same curiosity that had caused her to question the rule of the Spider Goddess and wonder if there was a better way.  
  
Then the drow archmage began to muster all of her spell resources to follow him.  
  
The Chase began.  
  
---------------  
  
The Wizard checked, and the little girl was *not* where she was supposed to be. After having been buried alive in the rubble of her home for over a day, the little girl would have proven pliant, the Wizard could have awakened the demonic Mistress 9, and then a quick show of power to further cow the "Witches" and make sure they wouldn't go doing anything behind his back.  
  
Yet clearly they had already done so. Or at least one had. There was no way the anemic little Goth girl named Hotaru Tomoe could have escaped on her own.  
  
Oh, to be sure, he could crack their minds open like eggs and sift through the contents. And while that had a certain appeal, it wouldn't leave much of his minions left.  
  
No, he'd just settle for scanning surface thoughts for now. Several of them had proven to be fairly clever once you got them motivated. Then he'd make an example of the betrayer.  
  
Now where could the girl have gone?  
  
-----------  
  
Ami felt a lot better for having had a quick swim. Much more settled. Now she could begin her homework, some additional studying, and then have a talk with Shard-san. Clearly he needed to rest more.  
  
"I'm home!" declared Ami, placing her outer shoes in the proper space and getting her house slippers. Then noticing that there was Shard-san's shoes and someone else's shoes?! A battered pair of girl's shoes?  
  
"We-we-welcome home-a," came the correct reply, if it sounded like Shard-san was having trouble sounding the phrase out.   
  
Ami puzzled briefly then sniffed. Food?! It smelled like apples and baking bread?  
  
"Ami-chan," came Grey's voice from the kitchen, "you dinner for ready is. Uhm. Oh heck."  
  
Ami resolved again to teach sentence structure to the boy.  
  
"Uhm. Mamoru and Usagi be later here." Grey stepped out of the kitchen area carrying a large pot. "We talk later. Many things need go over."  
  
Ami's jaw clenched. Seeing her fiance in *her* frilly apron, wearing *her* oven mitts, having cooked? She would *not* break out in a giggle fit. No, it would not be proper to laugh at her fiance. Definitely not.  
  
She just hoped whatever he made could be thrown out quietly. A boy in the kitchen? Surely a recipe for disaster.  
  
"Ah, excuse me please."   
  
An unfamiliar voice brought Ami's attention from the ridiculous sight (she was betting that cheeseburgers or something similarly American fastfood would be the pot's contents) to a little girl in black clothes. "Eh?"  
  
"Pardon me, my name is Hotaru Tomoe, I am pleased to meet you."  
  
---------  
  
In the 1960s, Tiger Tanaka had been fit and powerful, head of a more secretive branch than Britain's spy agency, though fulfilling the same basic functions. He'd met Mister James Bond, even had a degree of rapport with the fellow, but that had been long ago.  
  
He'd been 35 then, though his workouts and health regimen left him looking a decade younger. A sniper bullet had shattered his hip bone on one side in 1977. Now, in 92, he was 61 years old. The grace of his ninja training had faded, his hair was silver, he had become heavier set. It was when you looked into his eyes (overlooking the designer glasses to prop up his fading eyesight) that you saw that he was still the dangerous wolf.  
  
"So, this is one of the Sailor Senshi? Or their ally I should say." Tiger paused the display on the monitor.  
  
"Yes, there is also an unidentified woman who qualifies as a Senshi, though she seems a bit more mature than the rest of the underclad lolitas." Ritsuko was an exemplary worker in many ways, but had a manner of speaking bluntly that would not have endeared her to most employers. She didn't care much for these girls being some odd combination of sentai team and magical girls, though her opinion would have been mollified somewhat if they wore more clothing. And didn't do some other things that struck the physician/scientist as damn silly.  
  
Tiger nodded and a second monitor came to life, this one showing Sailor Pluto. "Yes, she *does* have nice legs."   
  
Ritsuko grumbled.  
  
"What of this girl?" Tiger clicked a button, changing the view of Sailor Pluto to another girl who was hiding behind a bench.  
  
"Identified as Hotaru Tomoe. Her home was destroyed in a mysterious explosion yesterday. Police have ruled that it was a propane tank valve malfunction, setting off several others stored nearby. They're full of it, as usual. No sign of the girl's father. They had a live-in maid, though there are indications she's more of her father's 'Girl Friday', but she was apparently away at the time at Mugen High."  
  
Starting the tape moving again, Tiger studied it briefly. "I see. Tsk. Boy has to learn to change his walk when he's in civilian identity."   
  
Ritsuko frowned. "Do you want them brought in?" She didn't specify whether it would be for questioning or removal or both.  
  
"No. Not yet. Any data on the boy's civilian identity?"  
  
"Grey Shard, grandson of Sebastian Shard." Ritsuko smiled at the sight of the great Tiger Tanaka nearly falling out of his chair.  
  
"THAT is Sebastian Shard's grandson?" Tiger peered at the screen more closely. "If he grows up into half the man his grandfather was, he's going to make for interesting times here in Japan. So he's engaged to the 'exam ace' Ami Mizuno?"  
  
"And one of her friends, a Miss Minako Aino, among others. Sebastian *was* quite the dashing, helpful, heroic sort during the Reconstruction."  
  
"Add two names to the queue. It will allow us to place operatives near to them. That way we can aid them when it benefits Japanese interests, and if they have an agenda beyond that we can better learn of it."  
  
"Which ones?" Ritsuko immediately started thinking of the various girls associated with their network who might qualify for this sort of duty. Perhaps that kunoichi/devil hunter Taki or even Kasumi or her rival Ayane. Let them get that rivalry out of their system. Hmmm. Maybe Xianghua? The paperwork would be easier than trying to mesh personalities.  
  
"Honey and Nuku."  
  
Ritsuko grimaced. "While Nuku is of the correct age, neither she nor Honey are particularly suitable as agents. Neither are what I would call ideal for deep cover. Honey in particular has no reason to go along with a deception."  
  
Tiger halted her with a raised hand. "Their talents are of use here. We can present it to Nuku as an inherited family obligation from her creator. As for Honey, while she has no particular loyalty to us, despite our rebuilding of her, we can count on her to do the right thing as far as the people of Japan are concerned. Their talents would be most useful as well."  
  
"But..." Ritsuko winced at the idea of Honey and Nuku wearing short skirted seifuku.  
  
"And you'll be their contact. You need more experience in such things. Set yourself up in that Juuban hospital Mizuno's mother works at."  
  
"But..." Ritsuko said, seeing her "zone of comfort" retreating out of reach for an undetermined length of time.  
  
Tiger nodded and waved off the underling's comments. "Take Ibuki with you, if you must. Also Katsuragi. Experience in deep cover operations is necessary, Akagi-san."  
  
"But..."  
  
"That will be all, Akagi-san."  
  
----------  
  
Elsewhere:  
  
"Help! Help!" It was clear to all who viewed him that the little elf boy (human equivalent of five) skipping along with the huge smile on his face wasn't serious. It was all that the boy could do not to bust a gut laughing.  
  
"Git back heah, you!" The drow sorceress skimming along under a Cloak of Flying was another matter entirely. Though as she had left her sunglasses behind in her shop, she wasn't nearly as able to pursue as the boy was at evading.  
  
"Ooooh! Da mean lady is gunna get me, Help!" The boy laughed, using his size to duck under the skirts of a minor goddess and through the door behind her into a building of sorts. The drow darted around the woman and flew in hot on his trail.  
  
Edema's screams and then shocked laughter could be heard from within.  
  
The goddess in front stepped away from the sign which read. "Womens' Heaven of Being Tickled Outrageously."   
  
----------  
  
Juuban:  
  
Rei sat before the sacred fire, casually reached up and put out an ember that had landed in her hair, and decided that any further attempts to see this New Enemy were going to be hopelessly screwed up.  
  
Whoever this Enemy was, they were completely unlike the previous ones. Whoever, whatever, this was, they'd detected her. They were also sick and twisted. She'd gotten a brief flash of some home that had been burned to the ground, then a wandering girl, then some guy in a bathrobe. At which point the guy in the bathrobe had looked up and SAW HER.  
  
This was, the Shinto shrine maiden admitted, bad.  
  
She'd waited a few minutes, tried again. And had gotten a porn movie involving girls in seifuku having their brains screwed out. Not only was this enemy able to tell she was trying to find them, he'd been able to deduce her identity, and block it.  
  
What had *really* been concerning was that she knew darn well she'd never been in a movie like that. Except that each and every one of the "actresses" had looked darn familiar.   
  
Rei thought that maybe she should try something else. Instead she focussed on Ami's fiance. After all, if he *did* go back to America, Ami would have to do so as well. He was a nice guy and all, but Ami was their friend and they didn't want to see her go.  
  
Rei looked for the images again, and was relieved when this didn't involve close ups of thrusting body parts.  
  
--------  
  
The desert palace again. Once again Coral was with her. Once again she found herself experiencing thing from the point of view of the Mars Princess and just along for the ride. Or walk as seemed to be the current case.  
  
"Knights, Coral?" Rei found herself saying. "Their power level is far lower than a Senshi. Why the Queen doesn't just empower more Senshi..."  
  
"Well, you could bring up that idea at the Ball. Everyone's going to be there. Well, almost. I don't think Bennu will bother. Most likely Nebula. Maybe Flint will, or Obsidian. I doubt that Pluto or the other Outers will make an appearance. Certainly you can try to argue the point with Queen Serenity."  
  
"Why don't you think she'll listen?" Mars asked, knowing darn well that Coral wouldn't have spoken that way if she didn't think that a certain princess would fail.  
  
"The Knights are less powerful than Endymion's generals, it is true. Their main function is support, and they are assigned other tasks at need." Coral picked up a piece of stone and seemed to consider it as they continued to walk. "Each of the Knights can bolster a Senshi. There are nine Senshi, not counting those of the asteroids, and nine Knights. At least currently. Each of the Senshi embraces an elemental part of the universe."  
  
"Yes, yes, I know this. I'm the Senshi of Fire after all." Mars grumped and snapped her fingers, causing a brief flash of flame.  
  
"The Senshi represent physical aspects of the universe. The Knights are more mental or philosophically driven. Nebula, you've met him as Basalt, remember? Basalt was the name of the marine and minor noble. Nebula is also the name of the post: as a nebula is the creche for stars to form, so is the Nebula Knight the protector of the Royal Nursery. The other Knights likewise have their assigned duties, but when a Senshi and a Knight are together, the Senshi's attacks and recovery time are heightened despite the low relative power of the Knight."  
  
"Still think more Senshi would be a better deal." Mars sighed as she walked alone into the center of a small raised platform. Privately she hoped that she *did* run into Nebula again. The fellow had proven absolutely correct. Mars had tried to summon Bennu for an audience, and had immediately found that one did *not* interrupt the Mage Of Deimos studies without good reason. He'd requested Obsidian come from the tower on Phobos in his place. "Another formal party with various courtiers doing their best to jockey for position. Well, at least all that sunspot activity has died down some and I'll get to see the other Senshi. I'll see you when I get back, Coral."  
  
"Farewell, My Princess, and stay away from the firewine this time!" Coral laughed and waved goodbye.  
  
-------  
  
Rei gasped as she broke the image, putting things together. That girl Coral had been a bit of a manipulative gossiping schemer with a mercenary heart, but had also been one of Mars' best friends and a confidante. Someone who'd practiced archery with her for years and she'd grown up alongside.  
  
And that had been the last time the Senshi of Fire and her best non-Senshi friend had seen each other. Mars had fallen before the Moon, and the Invincible Shadow had continued on without much of a pause. The Senshi of Mars had never seen it, but had known the exact moment of her friend's death - and the manner. Gasping for breath as the magic sustaining the environment had failed.  
  
Rei shuddered and hugged herself, scooting back from the sacred fire as she did so. It had been one thing to hear of Beryl's madness and of the destruction of the Moon Kingdom, recited as some history story even if it was some holographic likeness of the ancient Queen Serenity that had been the teller of the tale.  
  
To actually see with the ancient Princess' eyes the grand turrets and walls. To walk the ancient pathways and see the scurrying servants bowing before her. To hear the laughter and see the brightly smiling face of a good (if sometimes weird) friend. It brought it home in a way that a history lesson never could.  
  
Rei Hino, despite the presence of the sacred fire, felt momentarily very cold and alone.  
  
===============  
  
There are a number of ideas that i wanted to explore in this fanfic.  
As per a conversation with Jack Staik (of Another Approach amongst other entertaining reads) there were a number of things about the Sailor Moon series which neither of us enjoyed. ie: many of the sentai elements.  
A Soldier's Duty is meant mainly as humor, and one of those topics of humor are those very sentai elements.  
There have been many guesses about the Wizard's identity. A surprising number were correct. No, i'm not giving it away. Yet. It's not one of Grey's enemies (yet), but one of Jared's.  
i've got enough written that i could go ahead and do another chapter, not even getting into the mess that Grey would encounter on attending his first day of classes at a Japanese school. Especially with his fractured Japanese and everyone else's fractured English.  
  
some of the ideas i'm trying to throw out, and would like to see someone write: an arranged marriage for one of the Senshi? (i could see this as a Ranma alt/xover fic particularly, with the Tendos never getting involved at all. Just make one of the fathers Genma's training buddy from that time with Happosai instead of Soun. Makoto would work really well with this, as would Ami.) What about a competent villain? Or where the authorities or other people around didn't essentially ignore all this? (admittedly it's a Japanese thing to ignore a problem, part of their stoic cultural mindset) What if someone *could* remember a lot of details about the Silver Millenium?   
  
Admittedly, there are a *lot* of Sailor Moon fanfictions i haven't read, and a fair number that i stopped reading in the first few paragraphs due to glaring problems with grammar, punctuation, or format. It may be that there are some of these very concepts played around with out there. Or is this another series where people tend to "think inside the box"?  
  
  



	6. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 6

A Soldier's Duty  
Fourth Labor, Chapter 6  
  
DISCLAIMER: Some characters by Naoko Takeuchi. Some characters and situations by White Pheonix (no that is NOT a misspelling, its a name and the way HE spells it), and most of the rest by metroanime@mindspring.com  
  
-----------  
  
Ami had been amused by the thought of a *boy* cooking. Particularly when neither herself nor her mother were particularly inclined in that arena. They both could cook the basics, but her mother was more inclined to fix rice and some premade topping, or soup. Sugar cookies being the big exception. Ami was more likely to subsist on sandwiches than anything elaborate. So neither she nor her mother thought of the kitchen as their "territory."  
  
The amusement had begun fraying around the edges. Now Ami merely stared.   
  
"-Uhm, they were having a sale... Is something wrong, Ami-chan?-"  
  
"What are these?"  
  
"-i don't know what they're called in Japanese, but it's just slices of carrot cake. i figured Usagi means 'Rabbit' so it's a good choice, yes?-"  
  
"Actually Usagi hates carrots..."   
  
Grey spent some time looking up the odd word, sighed, then put the cakes aside. "-Well, maybe Mamoru or one of your other friends.-"  
  
"And this?"  
  
"-Tuna casserole!-" Grey nodded, he knew that the Japanese liked fish. If it didn't have rice, it had fish, or it had both. Or at least it sure seemed like that. Then Ami's expression penetrated. Strike two?  
  
Ami nodded. Everything looked fine, but each food prepared was something that she knew was avoided by at least one of her friends. Well, at least those stuffed potatos were okay, and they could trade off. "-Where did you get the ingredients?-"  
  
"-i found a store which thought the idea of an American guy making dinner for his Japanese fiancee so amusing that i got a discount.-" Grey watched her expression again change. ~Oh boy. Strike three? What i do?~  
  
The doorbell rang, providing an escape.  
  
At least momentarily.  
  
-------  
  
Elsewhere  
  
"Ah'm gunna..." wheeze! Edema panted after the young Pheonix Mage, panting and still trembling in every limb from her last encounter following him into the Womens' Heaven of Being Tickled.  
  
The little child skipped along merrily chanting. "Not gunna get me! Not gunna get me!"  
  
She threw a web spell at him and was disappointed at how effortlessly he shrugged through it to skip into another door. Groaning audibly at the halfling sized entrance, she bent nearly double and chased in after him, past the halfling at the door.  
  
The halfling moved just in time to hear the startled shrieks of the drow turn to more gales of laughter, as he moved revealing the sign "Halfling Heaven of Tickling Big People Into Helpless Fits."  
  
Jared knew what that shadow looming over him was, especially as it came two seconds before the laughter abruptly cut off. Edema had used a spell or device to create a temporary double.  
  
"Impressive that you could do that while still recovering from being tickled to that extent."  
  
There was a smile on the dark elf's face as she contemplated chibi-Jared. "Sugah, Ah've been stalked by crusading high elves that'd do near anythin' to remove a darkskinned cousin from the world. Ah can cast spells while ah've got giant leeches swarmin' over me. Not that ah want ta go through anythin' like *that* again. Now..."  
  
Letting the projected image disappear just as the dark mage pounced, Jared reflected that the game was truly afoot now.  
  
Edema merely sighed, dispelled her own conjured image, conjured some Excedrin Migraine and her sunglasses to her hand, then got back to the game at hand.  
  
  
--------  
  
Juuban:  
  
"*You* cooked this, Shard-san?" Makoto stared at the spread of food across the table. She'd brought her own shopping bag full of comestibles, knowing full well that eating at Ami's usually involved sandwiches. "And what's *that*?!"  
  
After waiting for the translation, Grey pointed to the sandwich on Ami's plate. "-That is what they call a 'Dagwood' sandwich back home. Figured that Ami-chan probably hadn't had one before.-"  
  
Ami looked at the huge overstuffed sandwich and wondered how one would be able to eat it. Could her mouth stretch that far? She found herself wishing that her fiancee had just gone ahead and made something predictable like hamburgers.  
  
"Ami's fiance knows how to cook?" Usagi smirked. This made matching up Grey-san with Minako or Rei even better a deal in her mind.  
  
"That was Rei, she'll be late." Mamoru said as he hung up the phone.  
  
Grey finished flipping through the dictionary. "-Ami-chan, i keep getting the impression you're not happy with being pressed into this arrangement. So i'll ask you straight out as best i can.-"  
  
Ami looked distinctly uncomfortable. She had an allergic reaction to love letters. Now this boy was going to ask her the most important question of her life, in front of most of her friends! How could she say yes? How could she say no?   
  
Taking a deep breath, aware that his fate in Japan lay in her answer, and that his dictionary had some water damage, but unaware that he had one word completely wrong, Grey tried to get his cards out on the table and get the uncertainty over with. "Ami Mizuno, will you be my kaishaku?"   
  
He was trying for "iinazuke" or "koibito" - wanting to imply a relationship that was more informal than marriage but on the road to that destination.   
  
There was dead silence from the assembled Senshi, Mamoru Chiba, and a pair of mooncats.  
  
Grey looked up from his dictionary to meet a lot of stares.   
  
"I had no idea that Americans took family honor *this* seriously," said an astounded Luna after a moment. ~You certainly wouldn't guess it from their movies.~  
  
"...uhm, I think you had the wrong word there," said Mamoru in a quiet tone. Everyone, of course, ignored him as they were all beginning to come out of shock at the same time.  
  
Ami stared. ~I mean that much to him?! This is going too fast! What about my GPA?! What about the High School Entry exams?! What about Ryo Urawa? (Though it *has* been quite some time...)~   
  
Usagi sniffled before going into Flood O' Tears mode. "Waaah! My Silver Millenium Daddy is gonna commit seppuku because Ami's frigid!"  
  
Ami, Minako, Mamoru, Makoto, and two mooncats staggered at that statement.  
  
Grey merely looked through his dictionary, trying to figure out what 'fukanshou' meant.  
  
"UsaGI," said Ami, sweatdropping considerably and sounding remarkably like Rei.  
  
"Darn straight," Minako said, taking charge of the situation. "If Ami's dumped Shard-san, then this is where..."  
  
"I have to take him," Makoto interrupted. "But he's so short and puny! He doesn't look at all like my sempai... uhm. He doesn't speak Japanese yet, does he?"  
  
"'Fukanshou'" mumbled Grey, still thumbing through his Japanese-English dictionary.  
  
Ami decided to see what this package was from her mother, that Grey-san had delivered. Wait till everyone was done reacting, then be the cool voice of reason. That was her plan. Brown wrapper. Note in her mother's handwriting on the outside: "Ami-chan, you'll know when to use this. I trust your judgement. -Mom."  
  
Ami opened the package, lifted the box out. Then stared at the revealed package with her eyes making a squeegee noise as she blinked. The red tide of a blush appeared from her neck and swept up towards her forehead.  
  
"-Ah, here we are, fu-ka-n-shou. 'Frigid, barren, cold, devoid of sexual interest.' Oh dear.-" Grey looked up, saw what Ami was staring at and couldn't help making a comment and leaping to a conclusion. "-Sorry, Ami, but i'm not sure we're ready for that. Particularly if you're just doing this for family honor.-"  
  
Minako stared at the box too. "Ami-chan, you're ready for any eventuality, aren't you?"  
  
Ami abruptly stuffed the 'family planning' kit into the bag again, and placed it in her purse. Then keeled over from the force of her blush.  
  
-----  
  
Elsewhere:  
  
This time Edema was smart. Edema was controlled. After all, if she had been either less intelligent, or less controlled, she would have died alone and uncared for a long long time ago. This little exercise *was* reminding her that associating with humans and all sorts of "Good Guys" over the years had made her a bit softer than the scared, scarred, and lean drow she had been many years ago.  
  
The drow had confirmed through Celeste that Lolth, Evil Spider Queen of the Drow *had* indeed perished at the Pheonix Mage's hands. But details of that Op had been classified more than a mere sorceress could ask to receive. And Toltiir had sat by with a HUGE grin promising wedgies if the goddess of J-pop had let any details slip.  
  
It was one of those Quest things. The divinities were content to sit by and watch this mortal attempt to get her details from the source itself.  
  
She could call in favors, but that was against the spirit of this thing. Toltiir had even threatened Thor with a wedgie (and more godlings than not were curious about the outcome if that should come to pass - Thor had a huge sweet tooth and stood by his lack of respect for any kind of threats, but so far he wasn't talking. Probably because the wedgie involved would climb up to right under his nose and Thunder Gods weren't at all into being embarrassed by anything that silly).  
  
Of course, she *did* have divination spells - though her specialty was transformation instead of information. So far they'd all fizzled whenever they intersected the Mage's path. Which could have been something that frankly frightened Edema and was the primary reason for the ice cream parlor owner to be searching for the Mage as intently as she was.  
  
In the pantheons Lolth was associated with and in the universe of the Abyss, killing a god often meant assumption of that god's portfolio. Assassination was the primary method of advancement within the ranks of the Abyss. Lolth was goddess of the drow. Evil drow, primarily, as The Moonlight Dancer was the goddess of good drow (and Edema's patron) but some would say of *all* drow. In her own world of origin, Lolth had been the Sunderer that had split the dark elves from the rest of them, but being drow nowadays was more a question of genetics than philosophy. To *her* original universe, at least, there were others.  
  
So this *did* concern and worry and gnaw at the dark elven sorceress quite a bit. She saw several *major* disasters possible. The least of which was that, as Jared Saotome had once made a comment to Celeste about how much he loved killing drow, that genocide might be on the agenda.   
  
Which was why the drow was flying cautiously along, warding spells up, detection spells searching, and with a faint line of faerie fire scrolling across her chest saying "Observer, Do Not Tickle." She'd count on her reputation and Contingency spells to deal with more personal threats. After all, Kitty Heaven was Mousey Hell, and there were some places where everyone would be startled to find that the dark elf they'd just ripped into bloody gobbets didn't immediately get up and critique their performance.  
  
She didn't think, at this point, that the Mage would deliberately do this.  
She told herself she was merely being cautious. Celeste would have pointed out that Edema was being paranoid.  
  
Finding the faint trace of a teleport bearing the Pheonix Mage's magical signature, the drow smiled within herself and followed it, plunging through while radiating a circle of defensive wards and enchantments.  
  
Right into the Heaven of Sneaking Up Behind And Tickling People Who Display Too Much Caution. Where they never even saw the words on her shirt (having snuck up behind her).  
  
A brief scream, followed by giggling fits began almost at once.  
  
---------  
  
Juuban:  
  
Grey was determined to be a good fiance until Ami straight out dumped him.  
  
So Ami had been laid out on her bed, a cold compress covering her eyes and forehead, and her feet elevated, almost before Usagi had finished reacting to seeing Ami's faint.  
  
The others had all taken their places nearby so they could continue to talk, though more hushed due to Ami's condition.  
  
Grey stared at the girl's hand as he briefly had a go at trying to hold it.  
  
"-Something wrong, Shard-san?-" Mamoru grew concerned for a moment.  
  
"-Her skin, it's so soft and smooth. She's got such delicate hands, it feels like if i squeezed i could accidently break them.-" Grey carefully placed his fiancee's hand back at her side and puzzled.  
  
Mamoru translated and was startled at the reaction. He could have sworn that the exposed portion of Ami's face blushed again.  
  
"Oh ho..." said Usagi. ~Maybe when Ami dumps Otou-san, he'll need someone he won't think is as fragile. Rei is *definitely* a good choice. Nobody who has to deal with that tongue of hers will regard her as fragile! Or maybe Minako. She looks like she's about ready to faint to see if she can get the same treatment.~  
  
Minako sighed romantically, picturing herself exchanged with Ami, the same tender gaze and concern Grey-chan was giving Ami bestowed upon herself. Then glared briefly at Makoto as they had sighed the same way at the same time and it was obvious that they were once again in competition.  
  
Grey reached over, adjusted the compress, and wondered what else a good fiance should be doing. Particularly in *this* culture. Japan seemed to have all sorts of rituals, and for everything from entering the apartment to using the bathroom. (And he was *extremely* glad that the Mizunos had a Western style toilet, he had seen those pit-like things while wandering and was not looking forward to using them.) And why did those two girls sigh like that?  
  
Mamoru grinned for no reason that Usagi or one of the others would have guessed. Most likely because there was a romantic tangle developing, and it was *not* centered on him. If he thought he'd be able to get away with it, he'd have brought out little "rising sun" fans and let out a cheer. Instead, he just settled for a brief grin and a mysterious smile.   
  
Makoto pictured herself lying on the bed instead of Ami, her sempai (if she could only remember his name or face!) taking care of her. Then glared back at Minako for sighing at the exact same time.   
  
Luna commented to Artemis that this tuna casserole was pretty good.  
  
Artemis asked Luna if she remembered a girl who looked like Hotaru.  
  
Hotaru looked at the girl lying in bed next to her sempai and was immediately jealous and confused. Family honor? She didn't like him? But she had THAT sort of thing she was carrying in her purse? What kind of tramp *was* this Ami Mizuno?  
  
Grey looked up. "-There are others around. i don't know where.-"  
  
"-Others?-" Mamoru asked.  
  
Grey nodded. "-Other allies. i'm pretty sure Hotaru-chan is one. i saw Sailor Pluto today, whom i met when i was Nebula. i've not met any of the other Senshi, but in my previous life i remember running across a few Knights and allies.-"  
  
When Mamoru translated, Makoto's enthusiasm went up. Maybe there would be a *tall* Knight!  
  
"We've met Sailor Pluto. She was around in that Prince Demando thing." Usagi nodded. Pluto could be a good ally. Particularly if she showed up once in awhile.  
  
Hotaru puzzled. She was an ally?  
  
Grey considered briefly. "Usagi-musume, please to find Sailor Moon, bring back here."  
  
Usagi was about to remind her father that she *was* Sailor Moon, then noticed the squeeze from Mamoru and that he was looking at Hotaru. "Oh, right. I think I know where she might be."  
  
Hotaru was more puzzled, especially when her sempai motioned her to come closer.   
  
"-Mamoru, could you remain? I need someone to translate.-"  
  
Neither of the remaining girls took the hint.  
  
Mamoru nodded as Grey directed Hotaru to sit in his chair as he got up and sat nearby on the bed.  
  
"-Hotaru, what do you know about the Sailor Senshi?-"  
  
Hotaru listened to the translation, then frowned at her sempai. "I know that if you're gonna fight youma you'd better take better care of yourself!"  
  
"-Well, i guess my secret's blown,-" said Grey after the translation. "-All right, do you know about the Moon Kingdom?-"  
  
Hotaru waited for Mamoru to finish translating, then indicated she knew nothing about it.  
  
The others, with spotty memories if that, also listened closely, Minako taking over the translation at points for Mamoru.  
  
"A little over 10,000 years ago, there was a great and shining kingdom known as the Moon Kingdom. Fragments of the tale of the Moon Kingdom have survived through the centuries, Atlantis and Great Floods, of crystalline crypts and ships that sailed the heavens themselves. It was real, and it was simply the best system that had been found, though not without its own problems. Most of the citizens were largely content, which pretty much defined its success.  
  
"Without going into a lot of detail, it was a matriarchal monarchy. The Moon Queen held all real power. Most of the higher level positions and ranks were held by women. The exception was the Earth Kingdom, which was ruled by patriarchy. In the kingdoms of the sky, the women ruled with the men having little real input. In the kingdoms of the Earth, the men mainly ruled though high ranking women often had their own measure of power.  
  
"The Prince of Earth and the Princess of the Moon fell in love and were engaged to be married. This was good for them, and would have united the two groups, except that not everyone was happy with the arrangement.  
  
"Many men and women of Earth feared that by merging with the Moon Kingdom, they would become merely another vassal state of the Moon. They feared that their menfolk would be relegated to minor positions or worse. Those of the kingdoms of the sky feared that their menfolk would uprise, or that their women would be forced to be subservient to the males. It might have all smoothed over but there was one of the Earth Kingdom and one of the Moon Kingdom who were always there to throw fuel on the fires of hatred and disinformation and rumor where it would do the most harm."  
  
"Queen Beryl," said Makoto. "Wait, there was one of these sky kingdoms?"  
  
"There are always those who will seek to spread lies in order to increase their own standing, and it might not have come to war if both sides had not been arrogant or there had been only one instigator." Grey sighed and allowed himself to transform into Nebula. This would be better coming from his Knightly persona, and they wouldn't need to translate. "Most of the Knights wanted nothing to do with either side. We saw both groups in error. There was one Knight who *did* want battle, craved it. As did Sailors Uranus and Neptune from the sound of it, though they remained on their outposts. The one who craved the battle was Sehan. We did not want to believe it, but he was helping to organize the hatred against the Earth Kingdom. He was hunted down and slain by Obsidian after it became obvious. By then, of course, it was too late. He had been corrupted by Metal'la, Beryl's dark master and the Entity had already tainted the Moon Kingdom.  
  
"The war broke out and after it had taken enough lives to spare the energy, Metal'la released power to Beryl's control. That was how we died in our Silver Millenium lifetime. Hotaru, I have reason to believe that you too were in that lifetime."  
  
Hotaru blinked. "ME?!"  
  
Nebula nodded. "I ask you to come sit next to me. If you were one of those corrupted by Beryl's taint, Sailor Moon can cleanse it." Feeling her tense, he pressed on. "I will be right here, and will undergo the same thing. It is healing energy, however, and cannot harm you."  
  
Hotaru started to nod, then clutched herself. "It's another of my attacks. I... nO. yOU wILL nOT dO tHIS."  
  
"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!" For once, Sailor Moon did not need a cue.  
  
-------------  
  
"Bwahahahahahahaha!!! Tee Hee!!" Squirm. Giggle. Squirm some more.  
  
"SUBMIT!!!!" Edema wiggled her fingers in ways that ought to have earned her right to a belt in Martial Arts Tickling. As well it should, she'd been doing enough of the katas of late.  
  
"Bwahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!" The Pheonix Mage continued to squirm and wiggle about trying to escape in those helpless little ways that only serve as fuel to an enlightened tickle officer performing an arrest.  
  
"SUBMIT!!" It occurred to a small corner of Edema's mind that she was having a great deal of fun here.  
  
"Tee Hee." Snort. Cough. Gag with laughter.  
  
"SUBMIT!!!" The fingers dove again and the little elf child practically gagged with the need for chortles and laughter to force their way out of his throat. She was wearing him down.  
  
"SUBMIT!"  
  
Plop.  
  
They were surrounded by fluffy bunnies.  
  
*Poof!*  
  
The Pheonix Mage was gone.  
  
It ocurred to Edema, a little too late, that with her foe squirming under her fingertips she had neglected just in the slightest to prepare for contingencies. And she REALLY ought to have noticed the Aura of Antimagic going up around her - though how the Pheonix Mage had escaped from within that was going to trouble her for some time.  
  
How she had gotten in to the Bunny Heaven of Cuddling And Being Petted was going to trouble her more right now.  
  
-----------------  
  
Juuban:  
  
Upon realizing that Hotaru had grown up slightly, was clinging to him, and that this situation probably didn't look as innocent as it was, Grey winced.   
  
Last night, he had seen this "anime" kind of thing dealing with this guy who was sometimes a girl, who got into compromising situations, then this psychotic fiancee of his pulled out a mallet and began beating the living hell out of him.  
  
He thought the title was "Futaba-kun Change" but he wasn't sure.  
  
Glance to the side. Yup. Ami was staring at him.  
  
"What the blazes was THAT?!" Luna was a little puff of black fur.   
  
"A demon, i'm guessing," said Sailor Moon, posing. "Well, it's moondust now. Ahem.  
Demons cannot be allowed to possess innocent schoolgirls,  
or disrupt a gathering of friends!  
For such crimes, you cannot be forgiven!  
in the name of the Moon, you're dusted!"  
  
Brief silence.  
  
"It just doesn't feel the same giving the speech *after* the fight," complained Sailor Moon, dropping the pose.  
  
"I'm back to normal!" Hotaru exclaimed, getting up. To Grey's relief.  
  
"Uhm, you weren't before?" Minako asked.  
  
"I'm actually fourteen, and I attended Mugen School. Some evil man who threatened my Father told me that he'd remove a year from me every time I made a noise. Then he..." Hotaru's voice trailed off. "...he did something to my Father. Then the house blew up."  
  
"What did he do?" Minako glanced at the others, seeing the same thought. A clue to their enemy?  
  
"I don't remember. It was all so fast. He pulled a demon out of my Poppa... then he made them both glow, then I ran. Then the house started blowing up. After that it's all jumbled."  
  
"Do you remember who you were in the Silver Millenium?" Minako asked, wondering if this might be another cousin or something.  
  
Hotaru shook her head. She couldn't remember. Could she?  
  
Grey realized that when Sailor Moon had blasted him and Hotaru, he'd changed back from being Nebula. "-Uhm, Ami. Ah, there's really a good explanation for this.-"  
  
Ami wondered why Grey-san acted like he was afraid she was going to hit him. Were American women that way? Did he expect her to act like that?  
  
"Yeah, while you were out, Usagi toasted a demon!" Minako was quick to gush. "And none of us even got beaten on. No innocents threatened, no property damage, none of the usual stuff!"  
  
"It *did* seem to run smoother than the way things go regularly," conceded Makoto.  
  
Hotaru smiled. Now she was old enough.  
  
"Uh oh," Grey got an odd expression on his face, shifted back to Nebula, then held the hand holding the Chain out.  
  
"Uhm, what does it mean when the pointy thing rears up like that and goes pointing at one of the walls?" Sailor Moon was a little concerned by this.  
  
She wasn't alone in that regard. Mamoru had a hand in a pocket, ready to pull out a rose and transform. "-What is it, Nebula-san?-"  
  
"A Senshi in danger. She's..."  
  
"REI-CHAN!" Sailor Moon squeaked as she realized there was only one Senshi not present.  
  
"We've got to get to the shrine!" Minako declared.  
  
"Endymion and I can go ahead of you, via the Knight Moves."   
  
"Actually, I'll need to drive them, you go ahead," commanded Mamoru, showing that he was indeed a Prince by taking command quickly.   
  
Once again the chain lengthened, swirled, and abruptly Nebula was gone.  
  
Ami blinked. "But he's still injured from that fight today, which has aggravated the injuries that Makoto gave him!"  
  
Makoto slumped and let out a deep breath. "I *do* wish people would stop reminding me of that."  
  
Ami's mother was coming in as Sailor Moon, a slightly older Hotaru, Minako, Mamoru, and Ami were preparing to leave.  
  
There were a few sweatdrops as the doctor merely raised an eyebrow at Sailor Moon's presence.  
  
The others rushed out with mumbled apologies, leaving Ami to come up with some explanation.  
  
Ami waved at her mother on her way out. "Bye Mom, I'm off to save the world!"  
  
Kumori Mizuno nodded. "That's nice dear, try to get back before 10pm! It's a school night, after all. Oh, and can you pick up some milk on the way back?"  
  
Ami paused to shake her head. This was beyond weird.  
  
Handy, though.  
  
---------  
  
Edema looked right. Nothing. Edema looked left. Nothing. Down. No sign of the Chibi-Jared. No tickling hordes. Up? Nada, zen, zero.  
  
She could admit she'd gotten soft since the days when she woke up in a swamp, peeled leeches and other critters off of her, then tried to hunt breakfast before breakfast hunted her. The carnivorous plants. The carnivorous animals. The carnivorous insects. The carnivorous blobs of protein that could only be held off by the sap of certain trees that were mainly indistinguishable from trees that would wrap branches around a victim until they were dead. Yes, she remembered those days well. One of the few places she'd been safe from the various elven groups that had wanted to make a snare drum from her freshly cured skin.  
  
There were times she missed the Feverblight Swamp.  
  
For all the tales told of how good the surface elves were, her only early experience at finding that true had been when as an exhausted and pitiful teenaged drow girl, weak from loss of blood and faint with hunger, she had finally been too tired to hide and was on the verge of having her innards sucked out of her by a stavanzer when a surface elf had ridden up on a stalking vroat and dispatched the problem with an idle wave and massive magic.  
  
As far as little Edema had been concerned then she had traded one fate for an even worse one, but her savior had taken one look at her, set up camp, took her inside a tent and cleaned and dressed her wounds, removed her scars, cured her illness, gave her healing potions she sorely needed and behaved so kindly she still wasn't sure he wasn't a fever dream.  
  
Her most pleasant and soothing dream during that time was simply the pleasant snap of defensive magics burning, blasting and shocking away hostile swamp life outside a silken tent.  
  
Looking back on it he had been the difference between life and an early death for her. With magic of all kinds flowing from his fingertips he'd fed her - introduced her to chocolate even! Then left her with some enchanted insect balm, a bag full of magic treasures, a few kind words of advice, and an apology that she wouldn't be welcome where he was going.  
  
She still had the genuine Elvan Cloak he had given to her - an article most elves fought tooth and nail to keep out of drow hands. Her own drow version had been hanging threads of useless tatters by then, and the cloak and boots had spelled escape from the swamp for her. Then the advice about a ship to a certain place where they'd never even heard of an elf, good or dark, a valley with a halfling shire and enough good cheer for a lifetime and a half.  
  
And a kindness she'd never known from any elf save one.  
  
He hadn't given her much, an Endless Pouch of Trail Mix, an old +2 dagger bent at the tip... practically garbage to her now as for strength of enchantments - which is no doubt how he had viewed them then. But they were still priceless treasures to her for the life saved and kindness meant.  
  
No, actually, she didn't miss the Feverblight Swamp at all. She just hoped that someday she could run into that elf so that she could... smack him around for leaving her when she'd fallen head over heels in love with him or kiss him so hard she sucked his lungs inside out, she couldn't tell which.  
  
But, having a moment of honesty, she realized through the centuries that had passed since then she wouldn't even recognize him now. She'd spent decades mastering magical arts such as he'd displayed, however, against just such a hope.  
  
No sign of the child-sized Mage, still, her skills honed during that time in the Swamp gave her the feeling that this was a trap.  
  
While Grey had been playing Ranma, she'd wanted to take Genma Saotome there and drop him off. The panda had no idea how close he'd gotten to a real training experience that would have topped the Catfist for sheer unpleasantness. Drinking rainwater out of leaves that were trying to cut your skin to drain your blood, seeing the creatures you'd been stalking turn out to be bigger and meaner than a frost giant with a hangover (that simply happened to have lots of tiny feet), all wonders from her past.  
  
Edema stepped out into the dungeon setting, wondering *whose* Heaven this was. Stocks and pillories, padded manacles, and other implements she knew quite well.  
  
Still no sign of the Mage. Had she read the trail wrong?  
  
Taking a deep breath, Edema held out a hand and cast a Detect Invisible.  
  
*SHWOOM!*  
  
Coils of rope immediately appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around the dark elf, almost mummifying her. "Oh craffffffmmm!"  
  
Jared stepped out of concealment dressed as Washu in Mad Scientist mode, having used his flexibility to fold up into a small space. He snapped on a small glove. "Tsk tsk. All right Edema. You've been a naughty girl. Using a Web spell like that on a crowded thoroughfare. Time for your punishment!" He cheered, grabbing a handful of feathers and a wild grin.  
  
Edema squeaked inside her gag. Then realized it was one that she could speak in if she whispered. "No more tickling! Please, my ribs hurt."  
  
"No?" Jared feigned emotional heartache, then openly considered. "What then?"  
  
Two other chibi-Jareds then appeared and began jumping up and down excitedly. "A spanking! A spanking!" Edema didn't recognize the Monty Python quote, nor would she care. But seeing her eyes widen he resumed adult form so he could do it properly, then put the drow elf over his knee and spanked her lightly. "Well, this hurts you more than it does me, you know." He said, meaning it in all honesty. ~A couple light whaps and I can claim victory in this scenario then we can move on with more of the chasing, which is the fun part.~  
  
Edema yelped in shock as the first slap struck, froze for an awfully long second, then began wiggling frantically on his knees as the sound of slapping continued briefly in the chamber.  
  
Jared was puzzled. He wasn't hitting that hard, but he had expected Edema to switch back and start begging to be tickled instead. Then he sniffed and stopped.  
  
"More... please..."  
  
Jared's eyes widened considerably. "AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" *Zip!* *Zoom!* *Zing!*  
  
His trail out burned.  
  
By the time Edema got free, there was only a faint trail of dust heading for the horizon to mark the passage of the Pheonix Mage. But she knew those hands. They had cradled a dying drow girl and restored hope of life to her centuries ago. She'd sooner forget what her own face looked like that forget the feel of those hands gently sponging, cleansing, nurturing and bringing life back ot her shattered form, defeating the clutching grasp of death.  
  
THIS time the chase was on for real!!!!  
  
And there was no way Edema would not get her man. It was still undecided whether she would slap him or kiss him, though.  
  
Or both.  
  
  
--------  
  
Juuban:  
  
Rei had tried resting, then one more attempt to scry the enemy with the sacred fire.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOO!"  
  
Bad mistake. The enemy had been ready for her.   
  
Her grandfather and Yuuichiro had entered, drawn by her scream.  
  
They'd stared for a moment into the flame, then declared the need to go on a long training trip. And marched off without a glance towards her.  
  
Rei watched as smoke began to pour out of the fire, pooling and forming a shape with glowing hungry eyes that seemed to ripple and shift before her paralyzed face.  
  
~First that Mikuji, now this. Why couldn't I have a relaxing night without any of this... oooh. What pretty lights.~  
  
-------  
  
With exactly the sort of noise that rattling chains make, Nebula appeared outside the Hikawa Shrine. Then held back a moan, as his earlier wounds were rapidly reaching the point where he wouldn't even be able to move. The distinct feeling of muscles and tendons having reached the shutdown point was making itself known.  
  
The problem with chi healing was that it wasn't magic, and it drew resources from the body. Eventually, that bill came due.  
  
If Usagi had targetted him directly, and had *not* had to disperse a demon, she might have been able to heal him. Though again, there wasn't a free ride.  
  
The spearhead pointed. Nebula followed the point then dismissed the Chain temporarily.  
  
The Chain had a number of uses and really handy abilities. It was thick, it was stronger than steel, it would eventually regenerate if it were broken (at least he thought it would, the enchantments *were* pretty old at this point), and it amplified some of his esper abilities quite a bit. With it, he could block, entangle opponents, use it as a tentacle, cut or spear opponents, and form simple objects by lengthening the chain and making it move into a pattern.  
  
It was also noisy. As the first priority was rescuing that shrine priestess, noisy was not an option.  
  
The job, as he would explain to others, of Nebula was Guardian of the Nursery. For a brief time it had been as sweet as any Heaven. Both Nebula and Grey were "nurturers" by nature - protecting and watching over children, in Nebula's case this had included his own, had been one of those cases where one fit one's job completely. The jangle and jingle of the Chain had been largely lost to the bustle of the castle, and when children knew that it was the sound of protection - it became soothing.  
  
He'd gotten a sword for times when silence was needed, unfortunately that sword had broken 10,000 years ago and he had not found a replacement. It had been a fairly powerful one, a gift the Queen had bestowed on him for when she sent him out on those little missions.  
  
Without either the Sword or the Chain, he had to rely on Grey's very limited skills in HTH, augmented by the somewhat more in-depth knowledge that Nebula had received as a marine.  
  
Still, it was quieter, and it didn't take long to summon the chain. With a minor effort, he switched from that damn Dress Uniform (he'd never cared for ruffles and lace, in either lifetime, at least if *he* was the one wearing them - Nebula remembered that one outfit of Puu-chan's), and into the military fatigue style. Easier to fight in, also it didn't rustle.  
  
He crept as best as he could, despite the pain level - that was fairly easy to block at least temporarily. It was the ROM (Range Of Motion) decreasing in the joints that had taken a beating lately that was concerning. Slowed reflex time was something that led to fatalities.  
  
One of the shrine's doors was open, the flickering light of a flame within. A girl whimpered.  
  
Grey crept closer, keeping one hand out to summon the Chain when it became needed.  
  
----------  
  
"It's a good thing you drove the car instead of the motorcycle, Mamo-chan!" Usagi said, though if Mamoru had used the motorcycle she would have been snuggled up against him instead of in the backseat squeezed between Minako and Makoto.  
  
"Oh dear, I hope Rei's all right." Ami began to fret, wondering if Shard-san would be able to help her. Not that she was really interested in a guy when exams were looming up and Rei was being attacked by a daimon. Or something. If she was, and Grey-chan. errr. Shard-san wasn't mistaken. For someone with clairvoyant abilities he seemed to be wrong frequently.  
  
"Let's see. He's short. Not terribly muscular, whines a bit, doesn't speak the language well at all, and is *not* a handsome prince." Minako said to apparently no one.   
  
"Usagi, move your foot," whined Luna from where she was getting trampled.  
  
"Unnnn," agreed Makoto though she wasn't paying any attention. ~Damn. I'd kill for a smoke at this point. I always got the 'bad girl rep' and now... How do I make it up to this guy? Or explain that my grandfather's life was saved by this fellow's grandfather and that *I* have to marry him! Except is he going to want anything to do with someone taller than he is? Who put him in the hospital? I wonder if I can get a quick smoke at the temple...~  
  
"On the other hand, he's kind and gentle, not unintelligent, a pretty good cook from what I saw, and he's certainly trying to be a good fiance." Minako took a deep breath, ready to explain to them all how HER family had a link similar to Ami's. And that she could take him, because cute was ideal, but attentive and kind sort of made up for it. Heck, after being dumped in England, then all the boychasing that had gone sour of late. If a kind boy had gone through a tender scene with HER that Grey had just done with Ami, they'd have to pry her off of him physically!  
  
Hotaru, sitting in Ami's lap in the front, nodded. She knew her sempai was worth keeping.  
  
"Hey, Ami-chan, what did you tell your mother about me?" Usagi questioned.  
  
"Oh that I was off to save the world. She told me to be back by 10. And can we stop to pick milk up on the way back?"  
  
Brief pause as that penetrated. "NANI?!"  
  
----------  
  
Asgard/Gladsheim border:  
  
"Ah'll get you for that!" Edema came up at high speeds, flying in a white leather outfit that was almost not there.  
  
"Nyahahahaha! You'll never catch me," Chibi Jared exclaimed, leaving a little track of dust as he ran at Ludicrous speeds.  
  
"...30 on Edema!"  
  
It shouldn't be possible for someone flying to come to a screeching halt. Edema managed it. "Excuse me?"  
  
Chibi-Jared came jogging back. "Fleece is still taking bets on who Grey will end up with? Dang, talk about your running joke!"  
  
"Ah thought that was what we was doing, Sugah?" Edema said, scratching her head. Didn't these people know that she just wasn't compatible with the fellow? In their case, he had turned out to be "sugar and spice" and she had been... well. To quote Mae West, she was a bad girl.  
  
A fellow in green stripes flagged Fleece. "I bet 95 that Grey ends up with that Pheonix Mage!"  
  
Edema sweatdropped. Jared sweatdropped. They turned to look at each other. Edema cleared her throat. "Sugah, do y'all mind?"  
  
Jared walked up to the fellow, still in Chibi mode, conjured a large mallet out of nowhere, and brought it down on the man in the stripes.  
  
Jared shrugged as he walked out of the crowd. "He was being a pervert. Uhm. Now where were we?"  
  
Edema pointed. "Y'all were heading thataway. After you."  
  
"Oh yes, thank you."  
  
"Don't mention it."  
  
*ZIP! ZOOM!* "Nahahahaha! You'll never catch me!"  
  
*ZOOM!* "Y'all come back heah!"  
  
------------  
  
NOTES:   
  
Makoto's smoking comes from Naoko Takeuchi herself. She backed away from the original concept, though it's hinted at in part of the manga. Originally, Makoto was to be a chain smoking "bad girl" similar to Madoka Ayukawa from "Orange Road." She'll quit, but i've never heard anyone say it was easy.  
  
NEXT EPISODE: The Wizard's identity revealed. (Actually, i was unsure of whether to go with the original concept here or use Sephiroth. It looks like the original concept will work here, though it might make it a little ecchi.)  
  
  
For those who are curious:   
  
Edema, drow elf sorceress (T14/W22, NG)  
  
LOOKS: dark brown skin, soft white hair nearly reaching her knees, gold eyes that can go from mischievious to threatening in a heartbeat. Likes to wear gowns that would fit a Southern Belle quite well, as some of her happiest memories come from mingling with a human society roughly analagous to a Dixie where slavery had never been established and magic was wielded. (Yes, this was a time travel thing, and she actually ended up in the Third Labor timeline though she only realized this after Grey had finished.) She wears more practical clothing on a daily basis, usually wearing light or cream colors to contrast with her skin, or gold to match her eyes. She was once lean and scarred, but has since filled out somewhat in the right areas and uses a cream to cover the marks of torture received from elves of both light and dark skin. Her form of spellcasting burns calories, so her intake of various high sugar products hasn't caused too much swelling. Tall, just over 6' in height.  
  
SMARTS: she's a high level mage. In addition she survived on a world where her kind was hated until she found a means of escape. Has a knack for figures and has turned her great love (chocolate) into a thriving business in Asgard. She is not the sort to bludgeon you with her brilliance, but she can hold her own with most opponents.  
  
PERSONALITY: Open a dictionary, look up chocoholic, and there is Edema. It is her mania and passion beyond few other things, save her loyalty to her friends. There are few she trusts and likes, and she'll literally move mountains to help them. If one can get through the initial levels of distrust bordering on outright paranoia, (particularly towards other elves, less so towards humans) she's a steadfast friend. She enjoys her creature comforts, considers her hands to be her most attractive feature (though others might argue), and enjoys maintaining the "old fashioned Southern Belle" image whenever possible. She isn't angry that often, but *does* have a heaping of pride worthy of a Ranmaverse character. If she opens up to anyone, prepare also to deal with all sorts of old fears and mental scars before she can cope, one of which is that she has trouble just being touched without flinching.  
  
COOKING: A master at various confections involving chocolate, ice cream, cakes, or a combination of all three. She dislikes spicy food, but has been known to make "Southern" style dishes like fried chicken or chitlins.   
  
FIGHTING SKILLS: Not her forte. She's okay with a dagger or shortsword or whip (traditional weapon for drow women), but if she's going to fight prefers magic. As far as HTH goes, she quite frankly reeks. She's gotten soft since her days when she was considered an animal to be hunted down, killed, and the carcass displayed before given to the dogs. It's possible that if sufficiently motivated, she could regain the edge, but she isn't exactly anxious to return to that state.  
  
SPECIAL ABILITIES: In terms of AD&D, she's a high level dual classed Thief/Sorceress. In RIFTS terms she'd be a Ley Line Walker with a few thiefly skills and a really good Prowl roll. Capable of casting high level magic spells, sneaking about, and has a few decent magical weapons and trinkets she can lay her hands on at need.  
  
COMPETITION: Currently none. Her upbringing in drow society makes it difficult to express affection without pain, cuddling is something that doesn't quite click for her (see Personality above), and the one guy she's actually tried to be affectionate with in the past few decades is someone she won't pursue due to what she considers a basic incompatibility of personalities - particularly as regarding loveplay. The closest thing one could find to competition now is that very same individual, the Penitent Wanderer known as Grey. If you're good to/for her, you've got his support.  
  
IN LAWS: none living. She has a number of cloned daughters following events in the Third Labor on the Sabre Marionette J world, but feels as uncomfortable around them as she does any elf. (Which is why they're there, and she's not.)  
  
ECONOMICS: Mainly tied up in her shop, "The Heart Of Darkest Chocolate" in Asgard. If nothing else, she has a fair amount of gold and magical items from her previous days of adventuring.  
  
SEX: If one can get through the scars, find and return a measure of trust, kinky. Edema *is* into whips and chains and all sorts of other things. It's possible that one can get her to relax into a more gentle relationship, but it would take time.  
  
OVERALL: If one can deal with a dusky chocoholic Southern Belle who turns into a drow dominatrix in the bedroom, not bad. If not, a better friend than a lover.  
This is intended as the last showing of Edema in my stories, consider her retired to run her business and snack on bits of rich chocolate. She doesn't mesh too well with some of the other story ideas or characters, but has been too intriguing not to use for walk-ons. Anyone wanting to use her in a story, remember, she's a Lady- be gentle.  
  
============= 


	7. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 7

Fourth Labor, chapter 7  
  
DISCLAIMER: Errr. Naoko Takeuchi owns the characters from Sailor Moon, other people own the other characters, and this really was supposed to go into hiatus with chapter 4. Rest of this mess by metroanime@mindspring.com  
  
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana." -G.Marx  
  
------------  
  
Asgard  
  
A Charm Monster spell went into effect.  
  
Edema made certain that her outfit showed her to her best effect, then leaned over and tapped the stalking vroat on an eyeridge, causing the massive creature to crank open jaws wide enough to swallow a volkswagon on a creature built like an alligator designed for anti-tank purposes.  
  
A vroat was a creature found on 232 dimensional planes. Which meant that, as such things go, it was fairly rare. To someone who had never seen one before, it might seem an unlikely armored blending of a hippopotamous and a crocodile.  
  
Something was cowering under the tongue, shivering uncontrollably.  
  
"Would you believe I'm just a harmless fish?"  
  
Edema leaned down sultrily and lifted a corner of the yellow tongue to peer beneath. "Well, Sugah, y'all coulda done that. But the swallow reflex on this heah vroat is mighty strong. He'd a jest tasted ya and down ya'd a went."  
  
"Perhaps I'm someone else?" The form hiding under the tongue pled.  
  
"The trouble with that there excuse is that, not only is that a philosophical nahtmahe, but ain't hardly a godling up heah knows what a vroat *is*, let along how ta make all pleasant like to one." Vroats were excellent moat monsters, Edema reflected, no doubt cutting down on travelling salesmen wherever they were installed.  
  
The tongue shivered as the form beneath increased in fright. "Um, I don't know what it is I might've done to offend you so... but I'm sorry."  
  
Edema clucked happily. "Now that ain't it at *all*, Sugah."  
  
"No?" A pair of blue eyes blinked open in the darkness under the blanketing tongue. Then they saw what the drow was WEARING... or, almost wearing as the case may be. "Eeep!"  
  
"Why, Sugah, y'all need to get that vroat slobber cleaned off'n you. Let me give you a hand with that. Ah might even be able to find a way to help y'all relax some."  
  
"EEEEP!" *ZOOM!*  
  
Edema smiled, eyebrow raised. "Definitely got good endurance, that boy."  
  
---------  
  
Juuban:  
  
The voice was a sibilant whisper, yet it carried quite well to where the Knight Of Duty was plastered against a wall to eavesdrop.  
  
"yesssss, little ssspy. my massster hasss sssugessted that i make sssure you possse no more threat to him. it ssseems to me, that the easssiest way to do that is to do what i did to thosse two sssimpletonss."  
  
Another voice, that of a woman. "Lethe, the Wizard has commanded. His powers have already erased this girl's past. Her new existance will not require her old memories. Remove them." An evil woman's chuckle sounded. "When she opens her eyes she will imprint on me, and I will be her master! Then her talents will grow within our service."  
  
"Sssss. it isss done!"  
  
Nebula grimaced and summoned the Chain, then tried to roll through the doorway and unleash the moon crescent blade end of the Chain on the boss.  
  
Unfortunately his accumulating injuries from the past two days were getting in the way. He flopped against a wall, but still managed to shoot off the Chain.  
  
*SCHNICKT!*  
  
Kaolinite reached up and determined that she now had considerably less hair. "AAAAGGHHHHHHH! Kill him! Forget the girl, just KILL HIM!"  
  
Grey scrambled out, followed by a lumbering snake-man, a pretty ticked off redhead with a haircut similar to what one gets joining the Army.  
  
Rei's eyes fluttered.   
  
"FIND HIM! HE CAN'T HAVE GONE FAR!"  
  
A chain rattled in through a window, wrapped around Rei, then drew her up to the roof.  
  
Seeing that Rei had opened her eyes, Grey held a finger up before his lips and hoped that the Japanese knew that signal.  
  
"THERE HE IS!"  
  
Grey winced and began to hobble off. He'd abruptly changed from Nebula to Grey but they still were following him. He had to lead them away from that shrine priestess, she looked in even worse shape than he was.  
  
And what the heck was this crystal thingie that the two villains had dropped? No, no time to ponder, Grey just slipped it inside his shirt. If they had lost something valuable, the more reason for him to keep it from them.  
  
Grey had made it to one of those little offices when the snakeman and the seriously ticked off girl cornered him. "Oh crap. This is gonna hurt."  
  
He was right.  
  
--------  
  
A recycling bin marked "cans only" moved gently into place along the corridors leading to the Timeline Simulation Control Room. As it was a robotic device that made the rounds regularly, nobody paid it a special glance.  
  
Of course, most didn't wear "elvan boots of stealth" but you could never tell with some of the tech-heads around here.  
  
Certainly if anyone had paid attention to the fact that this recycling bin had pulled out a device called a Cell Slicer and was entering a "cheat code" to modify parameters of the Fourth Labor scenario in a not-immediately-obvious method, they might have suspected something was up.  
  
"Y'know, sugah, you're carryin' enough magic items to set off alarms." Edema filed her nails while sitting on a nearby desk.  
  
A little panda sign popped out of the robot. [Would you believe I'm just a cute lil' maintenence robot?]  
  
"Not really, sugah," Edema said.  
  
The sign flipped. [This is not the droid you're looking for.]  
  
Edema smiled. "Why, dahlin', that's something ah'm still workin' out myself. However, ah do believe y'all's fiancees are gonna be heah right soon."  
  
The sign flipped again, revealing it had more than two sides. [Oh.]  
  
*ZOOM!*  
  
Edema smiled, dusted her hands off, and stretched. She frowned at a popping noise. "Ah'm only a couple a centuries old, but ah think ah'm getting too old for this."  
  
--------  
  
Ami's mother sweatdropped as she recognized the voice over the phone. "-Ah, Mrs Shard-san. Your son is out with my daughter. Still trying to get the hang of the local language.-"  
  
"-Really? They're getting along well? That's good. How's he doing in school?-"  
  
"-They're getting along like they knew each other in a previous life or something. Tomorrow will be his first day at school. There *may* be some problem as he doesn't speak much Japanese, and he only knows a bit of katakana and hiragana. I don't think he knows any kanji.-" Kumori Mizuno wondered if all superheroine's mothers had to play loose with the truth.  
  
"-I'm sorry. katagana and hirakana and whatji?-"  
  
Kumori blinked. "-Japanese has three alphabets. Katakana is phonetic, and usually used for foreign words or names. Hiragana is also phonetic, and is used more normally. Kanji is the ideographic word-symbol alphabet. It will be very difficult for him without a good grounding in all three alphabets.-"  
  
"-I see. I'm sure he'll manage somehow. Oh dear, I *do* have some distressing news however. Also some good news, but that'll have to wait until I can speak to him directly.-"  
  
Kumori leaned back against the wall. Tired. Worried about her daughter facing who knows what out in a quest to save the world. And quite a few problems down at work due to some strange virus running around in Nerima. "-I believe the appropriate expression, is: 'go ahead, shoot.'-"  
  
"-I've just been contacted by a newspaper reporter for the, errr, My Nichi Daily News? Apparently there are several other engagements to consider.-"  
  
"-Other engagements?-" Kumori didn't like the sound of that.   
  
"-Yes. A... here we go. Well, according to the paper, it was the families Mizuno, Kisaragi, Aino, Natsume, Kino, Tono, Meiou, Tendo, Saotome, Katsuragi, and the... Shinobi clan? Or something like that. I'm told that at least some of the claims will go uncontested as some of them are too old or don't have children or something.-"  
  
Kumori's hair was attempting to erupt in wild cowlicks. "-Ah, yeah, sure.-"  
  
"-Oh, don't worry about it. It sounds like your daughter and my son are getting along fine.-"  
  
"Mrs Shard" continued briefly, talking about nothing much at all before closing the call. Then Celeste sat back, stretched, and gave a thumbs up to the gallery.  
  
----------  
  
"LETHE! Destroy him! Fill his veins with a poison so vile that his innards turn to jelly!"  
  
"Uh, missstresss, well, actually, Lethe can't do that."  
  
*SLAP!* "Find a way!"  
  
Several Senshi running up the stairs saw indications of a building on fire.   
  
When they got to the top, Minako took stock of the situation in the manner of a seasoned trooper. "Yuck. He looks almost as bad after you got through with him, Jupiter."  
  
Jupiter groaned and again wished people would stop bringing that up.  
  
"Never mind that, ahem." Sailor Moon posed.  
"Vile creatures who terrorize the sanctity of a shrine,  
and beat on poor tourists without mercy,  
in the name of the Moon..."  
  
"LETHE! Poison sting attack on that brat! Deal with them while I return to our master." Kaolinite faded away, still looking righteously ticked.  
  
"LETHE!" Lethe agreed, then opened his mouth and started spraying poisonous needles towards Sailor Moon.  
  
"Waaaa waaa waaa!" Sailor Moon, naturally started dodging. "Hey, you're supposed to wait until I've finished my speech!"  
  
"VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN!" Minako struck the snakeman with her attack and then realized something. "Hey! I've seen that in a gaming magazine! That's an Ekans. Except that it's got arms and legs."  
  
"LETHE! The massster created me from that very sssource. Now i ssshall be your downfall!"  
  
"SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!"  
  
LETHE dodged and responded with a spray of needles that struck Jupiter.  
  
Sailor Mercury saw her fiance down, Sailor Jupiter down, and no sign of Sailor Mars. One of the shrine buildings was on fire, and it looked like Sailor Moon had tripped over her own feet. Time for defensive moves. "SHABON SPRAY!"  
  
Nobody noticed slender hands from the dark reaching out with surprising strength to pull the fallen Knight away.  
  
--------  
  
The Wizard continued to work. The priestess he'd glimpsed was no more, or close enough. Her identity rewritten in an eyeblink. Soon her memory crystal would be brought to him and he could dissect that while the body grew used to her new identity.  
  
People assumed there was only one SRU Wizard. Actually it was a franchise. They tended to look and mainly act the same, but it was only a matter of time before one of their number decided that the world of the Spell R Us Store wasn't big enough for him.  
  
When he'd been the SRU Wizard for years, he'd grown predictable. Turning all manner of boys and girls into big-breasted strippers and the like. Well, he had his tastes and he wasn't about to change them. Now it was a bit of a hobby.  
  
Those spells and cursed items had generally worked in the same manner, rewriting a person's body and often their mind, then backtracked the change in reality so that only those few people who were magically aware were even vaguely aware that there *had* been a change. When it had amused him, he'd dispensed justice. Far more often, he'd just played whimsy.  
  
He'd have to go see how the new dancer adapted in a few weeks.  
  
And yes, he'd admit it to anyone who asked. He *was* sick and twisted, and damn proud of it.  
  
And already this simulated timeline was beginning to overshadow a real one. He meant to make sure he was in control when they merged.  
  
The Wizard was ready to go into a Crazed Villain Laugh (he thought it likely a requirement of the genre) when he felt the daimon Lethe perish. Kaolinite appeared in the shadows a moment later.  
  
"Wizard, we succeeded in removing that priestess, though the Sailor Senshi arrived before we could imprint her or take her through the gate." Kaolinite paused, knowing full well that this replacement Professor was quite dangerous. "I have the girl's crystallized memories right... here?"   
  
The Wizard observed the way the nearly bald woman was fingering a pocket that had been sliced open. "Kaolinite-kun."  
  
"Eh?" Kaolinite looked up, a sickened expression on her face. She knew she wasn't going to like this.  
  
She was right.  
  
--------  
  
Jared was hiding. He had gotten pretty good at it lately. Against zombie kings, demon lords, dragon dukes, or even assassin princes, he'd always managed.   
  
He'd since learned that *none* of the above could compare with his fiances. Either in terms of potential danger, in terms of skill in finding him, or in terms of potential for wholesale property de-valuation. Nope. Not even close.  
  
So he'd gotten *very* good at hiding.  
  
Unfortunately, they'd gotten *very* good at finding. Which, of course, forced him to get even better at hiding. And so on.  
  
"So Jay-chan saved you years and years ago, you fell in love with him, and then he left you behind? Poor dear," Belle said sympathically to the dark elf.  
  
"Yes, it was all quite distressing, Sugah." Edema made a gesture, conjuring several dishes of mint julep ice cream from her store. "You might imagine it was pretty much the low point of mah life, being hunted by two groups of elves, as well as all manner of carnivorous beastie. In comes mah handsome prince, and out he goes the next day. Ah spent years masterin' the Arts Magical, 'till ah felt ah could follow him. Yet no sign of the fellow, and so ah turned to my other craft. Neither magecraft or that adventurin' fol-de-rol had quite the appeal without my elvan prince. So ah got in touch with a fellow sorceress, who helped to set me up hereabouts."  
  
Shan took a bite of ice cream and agreed that this sounded like she'd earned her shot at her prince.  
  
Edema waggled her finger at Shan. "Mind y'all, Ah ain't yet decided whether Ah'm gonna slap 'em for abandonin' a helpless lil' teenage elf in that swamp, or give him a kiss that'll have him checkin' to see if his tonsils are still there."  
  
"Did that streetlamp just gulp?" Mina asked with a frown.  
  
Edema steered the conversation back. "Besides, never said ah be joinin' the 'fiancee brigade'. Y'all got me kinda in y'all's ranks anyway, and ah nevah did like to be part of a crowd."  
  
Sakyo nodded, though felt compelled to add. "Though I don't seem to have any control over it when I turn into you."  
  
The dark elf smiled amusedly at the cyborg. "That's 'cause, dahling, y'all downloaded me just as ah permitted. Keep in mind though, ah ain't exactly as young and inexperienced as most of y'all's templates. Ah got me a couple of centuries under mah belt over ya. Don't ya fret about it none anyway, y'all got more important manners ta think about."  
  
"Such as?" Minako was quick to pounce on this.  
  
"What's gonna happen when the Mage sees what's goin' on in Grey's timeline?" Edema conjured an image sphere. "These are just the sort of monsters that've popped in recent like. Y'all have any idea how he'll take it?"  
  
Everyone present exchanged a look. They *knew* how eager he was to go after anything evil.  
  
Edema took a dainty ladylike bite of her ice cream. "Y'all might also want to consider why that mailbox is sneaking off like that."  
  
----------  
  
"MOON SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!" This was followed by Lethe hissing something incomprehensible and fading away, leaving a page of a gaming magazine fallen to the ground. Minako picked it up and confirmed it was a preproduction sketch of a creature called an "Ekans" put out by Nintendo.  
  
Mercury immediately did an "Aqua Rhapsody" to put out the burning building, then turned to do a quick scan of the surroundings. "He's gone?" Sailor Mercury was the first to notice the missing Knight.  
  
"Gone?!" Mamoru looked around, finally spotting movement. "There he is!"  
  
"Rei?"   
  
"Why is she crouched over him like that," Usagi was quite curious. "And *hissing?!*"  
  
Minako looked into those eyes and quickly came to a conclusion. "Them lights are on, but I don't think Rei's home right now. Let me just seperate 'em with a quick VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN!"  
  
"...could you not shout so much..." mumbled Nebula from his position on the ground. Naturally he was ignored.  
  
"Urrrrr?" Rei looked down, realizing what she'd jumped on. Was the very guy she'd been dragging to safety.  
  
*WHAM!* Sailor Moon smote Rei in the head with the Spiral Moon Rod while she wasn't looking. Usagi hated to do it. Really she did. Managed to look fairly innocent at least. Well mainly.  
  
*THUD*  
  
"...could someone get her off me?"  
  
-----------  
  
"What do you mean, give Tokyo a break? We're IN Tokyo!" Terurun cast a nervous glance to where Kaolinite and Mimette were sticking out of the wall. "Where better to strike?"  
  
The Wizard sat back and adjusted his glasses, regarding the Witch. "Terurun, do you recall what I said about killing the Senshi or their allies?"  
  
"Not to," sumed up the green haired witch.  
  
"Precisely. Do you know why Kaolinite is drooling on herself now?"   
  
"She killed one?" Terurun glanced to see Mimette was paying close attention. She doubted Kaolinite was capable of doing anything more intellectual than drooling at the moment. Then the Wizard made a slight gesture and Kaolinite's head came up, reason and fear returning to her in that moment.  
  
"She came close." The Wizard considered how to explain that the Knight Of Duty was the central figure here, that most of the people were just simulations, but that he was working on merging it with a *real* timeline - causing the patterns to overflow on a particularly nasty timeline he'd spotted. He'd have a world he owned, the gods of the Yggdrasil system wouldn't interfere because he could screw it up royally and it would still be a damn sight better than the original. But that if Grey were forcibly ejected from the simulation before the merger, all these plans would come to naught. Killing off these 'Senshi' (and the Wizard found himself wishing that he'd researched this Sailor Moon stuff better before coming) would also likely cause the simulation to end quickly.  
  
The Wizard studied Terurun, knowing that she was just an independent AI simulcra within the simulation. So sophisticated that if she was cut she'd bleed, could pass a Turing test, and in fact could communicate with friends and relatives of a *real* Terurun without arousing suspicions. And if plans went well, she'd *be* a real Terurun. "In magic, there are keystones - key objects phrases and places, yes? The Talismans you originally sought, for example, or the Sacred Cup they would have summoned. The Messiah of the Silence and the Messiah of the Light for other examples."  
  
Terurun nodded, accepting this for the moment. Then she understood and her eyes widened.  
  
"The Chain Wielder is one such keystone," the Wizard said with a nod. "Within him is something that could destroy our world here, if he dies and releases it prematurely. In order to assure our victory, it will be necessary to *not* kill him. Now what does that leave?"  
  
Eudial stepped out of the shadows to supply an answer. "Transformation, imprisonment, conversion, subversion, or simply keeping him busy."  
  
Terurun glared briefly at the other Witch.  
  
Steepling his hands before him as he leaned forward the Wizard considered the two. "The girls likewise. If nothing else, doing something to them keeps *him* busy. As far as dangers though, he is a small fish indeed."  
  
"Small?" Terurun looked at Kaolinite's haircut, thinking the boy must have been awfully sure of his power to do this. Overconfident, perhaps.  
  
"Negligible. The true threat has neutralized himself," the Wizard said, silently adding that this was why he had chosen *this* world and timeline. And with the Pheonix Mage away, the villains could truly play. The Mage had stated he would not interfere with this timeline, and that had been all the encouragement he'd needed.  
  
-----------  
  
Kumori Mizuno was up when several refugees came in from the war.  
  
Hotaru was unhurt, at least physically, though she looked like she was in deep thought about something.  
  
Ami came in supporting someone who had cuts, burn marks, wide purple-yellow marks over most of his exposed non-burned skin, and one eye almost completely swollen shut. And... were those bite marks?!   
  
As well as some girl she'd never seen before who was crouched over like an animal and *growling*?!  
  
Professional matters came first and she noticed that Shard-san was about to pass out. Too late, he already had. She ascertained the worst damage, put salve on what needed it, stitched up the worst cuts, lanced some black goo from punctures in the bite, and cleaned up what she could. The clothes, however, would have to be burned. "Dear, does it usually go like this?"  
  
Ami shook her head, letting out a deep breath.   
  
The doctor pursed her lips and considered. "And who is this feral girl over here?"  
  
"Rei Hino, mother, you've met her before."  
  
Kumori looked over the girl crouched down and sniffing the air. "I'm pretty sure I'd remember someone like her."  
  
This was enough to penetrate the layers of exhaustion. "You don't remember her? Shrine priestess at Hikawa Shrine? One of my best friends? You met her when you met Usagi and the others?"   
  
"Hikawa Shrine? There's no priestess there. Just that old man and his apprentice. And they left a few months ago, didn't they?" Kumori shook her head. "She certainly doesn't act like a shrine maid."  
  
"Some sort of attack," wearily explained Ami. "She refuses to part from Shard-san for some reason. As near as I could tell, there's only random activity in the frontal lobes, everything else is basically erased. We'll try to figure out what happened later. Sailor Jupiter was also hit, though it seems mainly to have affected her short-term memory. You really don't remember anything?"  
  
Doctor Mizuno indicated that she was not kidding. An attempt to examine the girl ended up with an uncertain growl but that was the only protest.  
  
"She's gotten a lot calmer, as long as we don't try to seperate them. She watches things a lot, as if she's trying to make sense of them." Ami shook her head. "I really need to get some sleep. Maybe I can think of something else to try when I'm fresh."   
  
"No obvious injuries," declared Mizuno-sensei from her examination. "She seems a little calmer than she did arriving."  
  
Ami nodded while trying to fight a yawn. "She's learning. When we figure out what happened we'll fix it. Weird things have happened to us in the past. It's that you don't remember her, that's..."  
  
The doctor sighed, picked her daughter up with some help from Tomoe-chan, and put her to bed. And with tomorrow being Shard-san's first day of school, she reflected they'd all need a good night's sleep.  
  
--------  
  
Sailor Neptune stood atop the tower and looked off into the distance.  
  
"Anything?" Sailor Uranus looked up at her lover and hoped that she had a better clue.  
  
"The sea is in turmoil, but the pattern is chaos."  
  
"How can a pattern be chaos?"  
  
Neptune looked down at Uranus. "If I knew that we would well be on our way to learning the identity of our new enemy."  
  
"Somehow I doubt it is an enemy from the old days," Uranus said after a moment.  
  
"You're right. They tend to follow a pattern." Neptune looked out at the city and shivered. "With this enemy, we can't be sure what to expect."  
  
"For this, we're out of a nice warm bed," grumbled Uranus. "Come on. If we're going to be awake tonight, we ought to at least get warm."  
  
"Hmmmm," said Neptune, having her own ideas on that matter.  
  
--------  
  
She watched as the lights went off and yawned herself. None of these Others were trying to seperate her from Him. In fact, the older woman seemed to be doing something to help Him, so Rei allowed Older Woman to groom her. Though Older Woman hadn't done a very good job.  
  
Short Fur and Younger Girl were nearby but off in their own lair. She had growled and bared teeth when they'd tried to seperate Her from Him.   
  
She paced briefly in the tiny area, sniffing at the various objects. Everything smelled funny, but nothing seemed threatening.  
  
Her attention finally turned to the odd bindings she had on. The others had become upset earlier when She had tried to get them off, so She had waited. Now there was no reason for her to keep the smoke-smelling things on.   
  
Finally she was able to shred the odd bindings enough that they came off. Freed of the encumberance, she stretched and briefly scampered around the room.  
  
It didn't take long for Her to realize that this cave was cold. In fact, this cave was a poor choice for a lair since there was a cold breeze blowing from that odd hole. She tried to figure out what to do about it briefly, then her eyes fell on Him. It was obvious, then.  
  
She snuggled close, feeling his warmth soak into her, and made a pleased sound. He had odd bindings like She had had, so maybe She shouldn't have removed hers? It *had* been warmer with them on. Oh well, live and learn. She tried to get into his. Naturally it would be warmer if he was still in them.  
  
Keeping body contact, she sniffed him all over as she puzzled out the outer layers of bindings. Many of the things that Older Woman had done smelled funny, and made her snort and draw back with a face. She continued to sniff at Him, though it wasn't until she got to his face that she ran across something even more intriguing. Her hand slid inside his shirt as she sniffed his mouth, then drew even closer to taste.  
  
A hand brushed against a crystalline disc.  
  
Rei spasmed as she pushed aside the animal part of her mind, then realized that she was kissing Ami's fiance. Not only kissing Ami's fiance, but...  
  
"..." Rei tried to get loose quickly but only got tangled worse. Seeing that he was *completely* unconscious, Rei calmed enough for memories to start coming forward. He hadn't done a thing. She had. If he wasn't reacting to her being this tangled up with her, likely it would take a Fire Soul to get him moving. If *that* would work.  
  
Rei trembled briefly, then decided to just spend a moment resting, having passed exhausted some time ago. She was asleep almost before her eyes could close.  
  
--------  
  
A guard flipped his cigarette butt out into the darkness. A faint trail of orange that ended somewhere in a splash out of sight. It wasn't like anything happened out here. This was one of the duller posts one could be assigned to.  
  
The Aleutian Islands were great for a number of reasons. Listening to Russian transmissions, cheap land, and lots of time. Locked in ice most of the time, with a cold wind that would blow in off the sea that made it seem like it was the Fimbulwinter.  
  
There wasn't much to do, and Private Emil Rostovich wondered if it was possible to be bored to death.  
  
"PFEH!"  
  
There were people who, half frozen and bored out of their minds, would have taken a moment to realize that his cigarette had continued glowing past when it should have splashed. That the glowing ember had just been spat out of something else.  
  
Emil would have done his drill sergeant proud. He stepped back into the light, moving simultaneously to put his weapon into a usable position. He wasn't sure what to expect. Crooks maybe, out for a raid on the expensive electronics kept here.  
  
Shambling fish-creatures carrying pitchforks were not exactly on his top twenty list.  
  
"Halt or I'll shoot!"  
  
The only problem with Emil saying this was that he was already firing as one of them lowered a pitchfork and charged forward. It took three shots for the fish-man to die, at which point Emil had switched the lever to make the weapon fire bursts.  
  
Four more fish-men died before the rest swarmed over him, jabbing with their weapons.   
  
Then the sahuagin looked up towards the road, and the prey up there.  
  
One of them expressed the fervant hope that they weren't *all* magic-users like this one had been.  
  
---------  
  
The door shuffed open. "Ohayo!...?! gomen nasai!!" Ami stared. They'd found some pajamas for Shard-san in his pack, and had spread a futon for him. And she realized that they would have had to leave Rei-chan in the room, remembering how she had howled and hissed on trying to get the two seperated long enough to get them in the car. Ami couldn't picture anyone setting the wild child up wearing his pajamas though. Especially as he was still wearing them himself!  
  
Rei woke up, realized she'd gotten tangled up even worse, and really was glad that Ami's fiancee wore boxers. Otherwise... now SHE would have to marry him. "Uhm, Ami-chan, help..."  
  
"I'm not into that!" Ami held her hands over her eyes, then peeked out between her fingers.  
  
"Neither am I," Rei growled, "nothing happened, but I'm kind of stuck."  
  
Ami made a noise and recovered her eyes, imagining all sorts of meanings there.  
  
"Ami-chan, I am genuinely *not* after your fiance. He's not my type at all."  
  
"Then why are you?" Ami had to remove a hand in order to make a gesture at the two.  
  
Rei moved around a bit and then realized the boy she was sharing clothes with wasn't waking up despite her moving around and the two of them talking. "Uhm, Ami-chan. I think he's in a coma or something."  
  
"Uhm, oh yes. Mother left me a note that before setting him off to bed she'd given him something to help him rest. That was why I'd come in..."  
  
Rei began disentangling herself, no longer worried about how it looked or whether she'd wake the fellow.   
  
"Rei-chan? Where's your clothes?"  
  
"Nothing happened! See! He's wearing... I thought all guys wore boxers. Well, they're underwear at least!" Rei blinked and scurried to the remains of her clothes. "Maybe I can borrow something of your mother's?"  
  
Ami took a deep breath, let it out slowly, then peeled back one of her fiance's eyes. Then checked his pulse. "Well, I guess I'll have to use this after all."  
  
Rei watched as Ami cracked open a small capsule. "Smelling salts?"  
  
Grey jerked and groaned as it took effect. "...owie..." *thunk* "zzzz..."  
  
"Coffee?" Rei asked, thanking the kami that Ami was taking it so well.  
  
Ami realized that Shard-san probably wouldn't have known he was in a compromising position with Rei if Makoto had run 10,000 volts through the both of them. And why was that mental image so pleasant? "Yes, I think so."  
  
Rei looked over the fellow and shook her head. No, she had *no* feelings for him. None. Absolutely not. They were 100% not compatible. No how, no way. Besides, Minako would be a better match if Ami dumped him.  
  
---------  
  
Rei had taken one arm, Ami the other, they'd dragged the sleeping boy to the table, wrestled him into a chair, and had decided to catch their breath before doing anything else.  
  
Besides, Rei wanted to find some clothes.   
  
Grey slowly began to come out the muddle to realize that he was in his pajamas, at the dining room table, and... hurt rather severely. He was also stiff as if he hadn't moved all night. He'd also had a funny dream about doing interpretive dance with some girl except that he had all these cords tying him to her so that they had to move in unison.  
  
Rei walked out, wearing a too-large pullover top and knee length skirt. "I'm heading back to the shrine, thank you for being such a gentleman last night, Shard-san."  
  
Grey blinked. "huh?" It was really *way* too early for this. Especially as what he'd understood was something about "the shrine" and "to be".  
  
Ami came out of the bathroom. "-Ah, Shard-san, you have decided to rejoin the living. It is good that you have done so. School is very soon. Do you know what do?-"  
  
Grey nodded, though he didn't really think by any stretch of the imagination he was ready for this. "-First go to the registrar's office, sign forms, then i end up being escorted to the home room.-"  
  
"-Don't worry, it'll be a piece of pie!-" Ami assured him.  
  
"-Piece of cake. The phrase is 'a piece of cake.' Though i doubt it will be.-"  
  
Ami blinked. She'd pulled a Minako? Oh dear.  
  
"Well," Grey said, sounding out the Japanese as best he could, "go we better. Think this long day will be."  
  
---------  
  
Sailor Pluto had discovered something erasing Rei Hino from the timestream. Naturally, she felt this was her responsibility and had begun working at dispelling the ripple. Despite this being something entirely within her domain, she'd run into problems and had only been able to undo parts of it.   
  
Unfortunately, her efforts had apparently tipped off their new enemy that someone *was* moving through time.  
  
Sailor Pluto slept. It was not intentional and it was not planned. She'd had enough time to realize that the new enemy had left a literal "time bomb" to stop people moving through time, and she'd found it. Or, more honestly, it had found her.  
  
She'd survived it however, and tumbled out of the timestream to land here. Unfortunately, she had intended to appear in the early morning at the Mizuno household, dressed appropriately for meeting her iinazuke.  
  
Instead she was in her Sailor fuku, unconscious, and a bit later than she'd intended to be. She was *almost* where she had wanted to show up. Which is why she'd landed in the sliding closet that should have been occupied by Grey's futon thirty five seconds after the front door had been closed and locked.  
  
There had been other changes from her plans, but she would have to be conscious to notice them.  
  
---------  
  
A spell had been unravelled, at least part way.  
  
Some records did indeed show that there was a Rei Hino, who happened to be a high school student at T*A Academy. Though there were some problems as she apparently did not have a home address or guardian.  
  
Some records did indeed show that there was a Hikawa Shrine. Those records would show it had been abandoned recently, the caretaker and his apprentice going to work at other shrines.  
  
The records of Bambi Hino, an entertainer in a cheap club in a disreputable area of the Roppongi district, were likewise nearly complete. Bambi being the sort of entertainer she was, those records were generally not put through a lot of scrutiny under anything approaching normal circumstances.  
  
And a fair number of videotapes showing someone known as "Miss Teapot" were likewise unaffected. Which was really a pity, as Rei herself would have preferred those had disappeared.  
  
=========  
  
  
"Yes weedhopper, feedback is an important part of Anything Goes Fanfic Writing. Without knowing which blows strike home, and which miss target, it is impossible to improve score." The old man sighed deeply. "So it is written."  
  
"Why is it written, Master?"  
  
"Because, weedhopper, if you called up the author to discuss this he'd spend all his time talking on the phone about his stances on Genma and Akane. Instead of writing fanfics."  
  
------  
  
The assessment of the Senshi English skills comes mainly from episode #108, "Usagi's Dance is the waltz" (Usagi no dance wa waltz ni notte). Minako is fluent, Ami's accent is thick enough to cut and a bit overly formal, Rei seems to know a few phrases but her reaction later indicates she has little confidence in English skills (no appreciable accent, prob because i've heard her voice actress - Michie Tomizawa is fluent), Makoto's poor, Usagi's hopeless or nearly so.  
  
Next chapter: the first day of school. the horror, the horror.  
  
  
========== 


	8. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 8

A Soldier's Duty  
  
Chapter 8 (4th Labor)  
  
"As you journey through life, take a minute every now and then to give a thought for the other fellow. He could be plotting something." - Hagar the Horrible  
  
--------  
  
Grey, who was *not* the paragon of courage and self-confidence that others might expect, wanted to turn around and walk the other way.  
  
High School was, as far as he was concerned, one of those things that you had to do, but that you couldn't actually enjoy. Root canals, knee replacement surgery, jury duty, and other aspects of life that similarly qualified as "unpleasant."  
  
Grey walked up to the school alone, Ami going ahead to her classroom as if she didn't know him at all.  
  
Upon first entering the school, he could feel the cool stares. He'd be shunned, that was certain.   
  
"-Ah, you must be Shard-san!-"  
  
Then again, maybe not.  
  
"-Hi. I'm Misato Katsuragi, I'm a new teacher here. I hope you'll be available to help my class with English Conversation.-"  
  
Grey looked at the girl and wondered how young teachers were in Japan. "-i'm not sure what my schedule will be like, Katsuragi-san. Otherwise i'd be happy to help.-"  
  
"Filthy gaijin!" Someone yelled from the back of a crowd.  
  
"-I'm afraid there's going to be some degree of that,-" said Misato. "-Oh well, see you later, probably.-"  
  
Grey sighed, then went into the school, fully aware of the staring and whispering. He just wished he had a way of translating, but if he relied on the Chain and partial transformation to Knight then he'd never learn the language.  
  
More staring as he walked in, with conversations stopping as he went by. Great. Putting a big spotlight on him would only be icing at this point.  
  
~And what is with everyone having newspapers or articles they've clipped? Class project or something?~  
  
-----------  
  
"Mizuno-kun!"   
  
Ami glanced up from where she'd been reading, then stood to bow slightly. "Vice Principal. Is something wrong?"  
  
"I should say so, Mizuno-kun!" The heavyset authority looked distinctly reddish and flustered. "This is completely unacceptable!"  
  
Ami blinked. "I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what you're referring to."  
  
"It's bad enough that you associate with some scum-head students, I'd meant to talk to you regarding that as well. But this engagement goes beyond even that."  
  
Ami began to shrink in on herself, feeling the eyes of the class upon her. "...but sir..."  
  
"They will bother your studies. So will this engagement. I would advise you to break both of them off." The Vice Principal nodded as if agreeing with himself. "There are entry exams soon that should be your only concern. I'm sure these are all burdens to you that will weigh you down."  
  
"ukkk," said Usagi, falling from her desk. ~Burden?!~  
  
"Please see me anytime," requested the Vice Principal.  
  
"Even if you're vice-principal, 'burden' is not a proper word to use," protested Ami.  
  
"Just a figure of speech," waved the authoritarian figure. "For now I advise you to focus on studying. Exclusively if possible."  
  
The teacher walked in as the Vice Principal walked out.  
  
Ami reseated herself and tried to focus on the material, but she had to admit she wasn't anywhere *close* to focussing on today's assignment. ~Studying? Is that all I am? Is that all I am allowed? If you took away studying and exams, would there be anything left?~  
  
Usagi sweated. ~Are we a burden to Ami-chan? She has to study so much more than any of the rest of us. Oh dear.~  
  
Minako and Makoto slumped at their desks, thinking things similar to Usagi.  
  
----------  
  
"So, how good *is* your Japanese, Shard-san?" The Principal raised an eyebrow at the boy.  
  
"i speak little Japanese," indicated Grey holding finger and thumb close together. "They not teach in school home. Only here two days. No much time."  
  
"-I can tell you've done pretty well nonetheless,-" the principal noted. ~Too well. He might actually succeed in stealing off our prize pupil. The reputation of the school is at stake!~ "-One thing you're doing wrong, however. Besides using the female forms in the language, you're much too formal. Instead of using 'boku' or 'atashi' for yourself, use your name. This lets people know that you're a student of the language.-"  
  
"Oh. So Grey should talk this like?"   
  
"-Yes, much better. Oh, I hear you're engaged to Mizuno-san. What do you think of her?-" The Principal noted the faint blush, easily seen on the boy's pale skin, and realized strict measures would be needed.  
  
"-She's cute. Really cute. Intelligent. Nice. Doesn't seem to care for me that much. Maybe after we get to know each other. We *are* kind of young for all this.-"  
  
"-Well, if Mizuno-san is happy, then that's what matters,-" lied the Principal. "-You don't have a lot of experience with Japanese girls, so I'll tell you right off that they like aggressiveness.-"  
  
"-Aggressiveness?-"  
  
"-Yes, be forceful. Japanese girls like a guy who won't take no for an answer. Japanese girls like to play 'hard to get' towards guys they really like.-"  
  
Grey blinked. ~So if Ami acts distant towards me, she actually finds me attractive? That's... actually no more bizarre than American girls. Arrrghhh. Why do women have to play games like that?!~  
  
Seeing his suggestions take hold, the Principal smiled. "-Now, Shard-san, time for you to be introduced to your class.-" ~And by putting him in the same class as Mizuno-san, she will see how unsuitable he is, and then shift the engagement off to someone else. Our school's status will be assured. Until Mizuno-san graduates, at least.~  
  
----------  
  
A city named Virginia Beach in a state called Virginia, in a place called the United States. Largely housing tracts of nearly identical homes, a few military bases of no particular significance, and a number of extensive parks. A resort area, for the most part. Not exactly what you'd consider a hub of any kind of interesting activity.  
  
Within the sprawling city was an area of beach and homes on stilts known as Sandbridge. Expensive homes for all that a grassy lawn wasn't even possible and any stray breeze through a window meant sweeping sand off the floor.   
  
Light gathering at a pinpoint in midair off the surf might have gathered more interest if everyone wasn't busy elsewhere.  
  
*WHAM!* The light stretched out into a line, then raced at 90 degree angles, finally culminating in a square hundreds of feet high. It was an experiment of sorts for the Wizard. To see what he could do if he tried making a few changes here and there in a summoning spell. Besides, he was after spreading chaos and uncertainty. A simple spell had him installed as the figure of Emperor to these troops.  
  
A few surfers were finally distracted from their sport by something emerging from the square.  
  
*THOOM!* *THOOM!*  
  
The first Imperial AT-AT Walker shrugged through the square and used a quick burst of laser fire to turn a few nearby homes to flaming shrapnel. Behind it, white-clad Stormtroopers - their lasers leveled to punish any sign of resistance.  
  
Hovering behind them, not deigning to get his boots wet, a figure in black armor waited, ready to draw lightsaber at the first sign of a Jedi, Senshi, or anything even close.  
  
--------  
  
"This is unusual, but if you say so, Vice Principal." The teacher looked at the exchange student then at the Vice Principal, then shrugged. He waited for the Vice Principal to leave before continuing. "Okay, class, we have an exchange student from America. Shardo Greyu... Shardo?"  
  
"Hai, sensei. Sorry. Speak Japanese tiny amount." Grey wondered what the heck he was supposed to do in this circumstance. There was probably a proper ritual for *this* too. "Uhm, good morning."  
  
"You are late for class, so bucket duty." The professor looked away briefly, then realized the gaijin was looking puzzled and flipping through a Japanese-English dictionary. "Would someone explain to this idiot what bucket duty entails?"  
  
"Yes sensei," answered one of the eager to send away a gaijin guy. How dare some foreigner come poaching on Japanese girls! "-You screw up plenty bad. You take buckets, fill up with water, stand outside door to classroom with big sign let everyone know you stupid pig.-"  
  
Grey blinked, looked at the professor, and came to the conclusion that this was serious. "Very bad." ~Well, when in Rome.~ Limping over to the indicated buckets, he got them, went out to find a bathroom and fill them, then struggled to hold the two buckets.  
  
"Now, if we can get back to the subject at hand," the teacher began. If he noticed that several of his students looked decidedly ill (two looking actually angry), that was not something he'd concern himself with.  
  
--------  
  
Misato Katsuragi, English teacher, listened briefly to the voice on the phone. "Yeah, I'm here. Get real would you? They got more forms to fill out than some government agencies."  
  
"You want to trade?" Ritsuko asked from across the district in a hospital. "I'm doing autopsies. Not exactly what I'd prefer."  
  
"You'd rather hang around teenage boys?"  
  
"Good point. At least these don't try to grope you regularly." Ritsuko smirked a little. "How's the target?"  
  
"Rough. Burns, cuts, bruises. Rings under the eyes. Looked like he had some trouble adjusting to different levels of light." Misato let out a deep breath. "You remember when Agent Fujishima came in after that mission last month?"  
  
Ritsuko winced. "That bad, huh?"  
  
"Yup. That's how I knew how to check for signs of a concussion. The only thing this guy's missing is the bullet hole."  
  
"The report indicated some sort of healing technique had been used in the hospital. Maybe something like Fujishima's healing trance."  
  
"Chi healing?" Misato considered. "Didn't you say that a drawback of that kind of 'mind over body' stuff was that it uses up the body's resources faster than normal?"  
  
"You think he's not replenished those resources, and is about to run out? Don't go there, Misato. If he dies, our mission will have been a failure and this would not look good on our records."  
  
"Its a human life, Rits. He's one of the good guys. It should count for something. Someone's coming. Misato out."  
  
---------  
  
"Uhm, teacher," the boy who'd delighted in translating for the gaijin felt the need to point out that the student was slumped outside the door. "Looks like the gaijin who dares to try to pollute the pure lines of Japan via his engagement to one of your other students is slacking!"  
  
"Huh?" The teacher responded wearily. "Who's Mister Tardy engaged to?"  
  
Everyone in class looked at Ami. Who blushed and stammered. "N-no-no. It's just an honor arrangement. There's nothing going on between us. He's just..."  
  
The teacher frowned as he opened the door to step out. "Now there's an odd couple. Okay, Mister Tardy, it's time for you to..."  
  
The teacher's arms windmilled briefly as he slid an inch. "What? Can't you even... oh dear."  
  
The rest of the class poured out of the other door to look. Several of the girls screamed.   
  
Though it wasn't remembered, or even an active part of the simulation, Grey was primarily a dragon. When heavily wounded, dragons bled rather huge amounts.   
  
Ami threw her shyness off like an old coat. This was a medical problem, and therefore the sort of thing she'd studied. Ignoring the stammering teacher, Ami quickly checked the patient's condition.   
  
Labored breathing, slumped against the wall, eyes rolled back in their sockets, death grip on the handles of the buckets, which had cut into abrasions which hadn't even had a chance to form scabs. Unhealthy shade of pale, even under the bruises. Trembling, clothes damp with sweat. "He's in shock. Someone get the nurse."  
  
Minako began running, this was a crisis and needed attention quickly. Unfortunately, Nurse Meiou was missing today.  
  
Ami frowned on checking his pulse, then factored in the amount of blood covering the floor.  
  
"b-b-but..." Everyone ignored the teacher.  
  
"We need to get medical help for him stat," said Ami, glancing to the side at Sailor Moon.  
  
Eyes briefly focussed on her face. "So cute..."  
  
Ami startled. ~Cute? Nobody's ever called me cute before! Cute? But I need to focus on studying, the Vice Principal even said... but if I'm... that is...~ A detail began to get noticed. This was all clearly Shard-san's blood. It was also approaching the total amount normally concealed in a body of his mass.  
  
The guy from earlier shrugged. "Well, it's only a gaiji-" *WHAM!*  
  
Makoto apologized for unfortunately tripping and accidently hitting the poor guy into a wall. Clearly this wasn't her fault however, the floor was slick.  
  
---------  
  
"He's about to eject," Celeste warned. "If he does, this whole simulation falls apart."  
  
"It seems unlikely that we can come up with a way to fix it, within the structure of the simulation itself." Amaterasu agreed. "Is there a backup plan?"  
  
"Working on it," Celeste admitted. "It's part of the job description after all. If the Nebula Aspect is killed, rotating in another Aspect would work. Alternatively, we could let the scenario dissolve and I could re-initialize one of the other scenarios we had going. Hopefully that will also eject the intruder."  
  
"But it isn't guaranteed," Amaterasu summed up. "And if he could get in there once, he likely could again."  
  
"Did you find what the Pheonix Mage altered?" Celeste asked, frustrated that she still hadn't found how the intruder had gotten in.  
  
"Just a common cheat code for RPGs. Haven't even bothered to remove it, as the main group's decision won't be phased in the slightest by it." Amaterasu had confidence in them. They were Japanese, after all.  
  
"Hmmph, well, I have other duties. Hopefully the autosearch routine will find the rabbit hole."  
  
----------  
  
Heartened by the success of the Star Wars villainry, the Wizard worked again.  
  
By using the fact that this *was* a VR simulation, and corruption of one of the programs used to maintain it, the Wizard was able to do far more than his usual Spells R Us bag of tricks. And if he succeeded in putting this timeline into reality, his summonings and creations and alterations would all be real.  
  
And if he failed, then he'd have gotten enough experience that he could try again later.  
  
A portal seemed to open in Australia. As with the Star Wars group, it was simple to make an alteration so that these minions regarded him as their Emperor, or Regent as the case was.  
  
The Invid began constructing their hive.  
  
Then the Wizard grew alarmed at a ripple passing through all of his creations. All this work, and now the simulation was coming undone?   
  
A gesture freed Kaolinite and Mimette. A crook of a finger summoned the other Witches.   
  
Another ripple passed through. This was enough for the Witches to detect, especially as several tables of instruments weren't there after the ripple passed.  
  
Mimette's hair was on end. "What the hell was that?!"  
  
"The Chain Wielder's life is being threatened. Find him. Find whatever is killing him. Stop it." The Wizard thought for a moment. "If he's this close to death, there's a good chance you can capture him. If you can, do so, bring him back here." Stored in crystal, the boy could be kept safe until he wasn't needed.  
  
Another ripple. More tables vanished. The Witches hurried.  
  
--------  
  
Makoto managed to unclench the boy's hands from the water buckets. Unfortunately, one of his fingers was broken in the process. "He's really not gonna be happy with this."  
  
"You know, I don't think his impression of Japan or the Japanese will be conducive to a long stay." Minako put in. "Where's that ambulance?"  
  
Usagi had passed out from seeing all the blood and was unavailable for comment.  
  
Ami, calm, cool, collected cram school student, was handling this in a completely professional manner for a doctor. She reached over, closed her fiance's eyes, arranged his hands on top of his chest, then walked over to her friend Makoto and started crying into her chest.  
  
Naturally people started talking about that. Makoto's glare caused the speculation to stop.  
  
*Ripple.*  
  
Honey Kisaragi had seen enough. "Everyone get clear. Nuku?"  
  
Nuku nodded. "Right!" Then shouldered the boy easily and ran, ignoring the questions and making a 30ft leap from the window to the street outside. Angular momentum was used up in a further sprint, and Nuku Nuku took her fiance to the hospital.  
  
Almost everyone stared at the hole the pink haired girl had made in the wall.   
  
"Mako-chan, that girl's even stronger than you are," Minako said after a few moments. "Well, isn't this a fine pot of porridge?"  
  
"That's 'kettle of fish' Minako," Ami corrected automatically.  
  
"Medusa!"   
  
A youma attack? As far as several young girls were concerned, the opportunity to work out some stress could not have come at a better time. A quick duck to the sides, transformation, and rush forward.  
  
Kaolinite let the daimon draw off attention while she searched the school. She'd save the boy all right. But she'd also make him pay for cutting off her hair!  
  
---------  
  
Doctor Kumori Mizuno had seen a lot of strange things in the past few years. Working at Jikei University Medical Hospital one got to see such things as vampire attack victims, kids thrown into a starving pit of cats (just that once, but that once was enough - Kumori wondered if that father who'd engaged his son to her daughter (it'd been her idea - a ploy to take the boy out of what was clearly an abusive situation) remembered), and the more recent yoma raids.  
  
People recovered from the youma raids because Juuban had seen enough weirdness over the past few decades that this sort of thing was almost expected. Want magical beasties- visit scenic Azabu Juuban. Martial arts weirdoes - Nerima. Demons? Shinjuku. Ridiculously silly ghosts? Toshima.  
  
So things got busy periodically, and one coped as best one could. To endure was a Japanese virtue, after all.  
  
And the Mainichi Daily News had an article that she'd been forewarned to expect from Mrs Shard's call last night. Part One of a two parter. Not a headline, it was back in the Lifestyle section.  
  
"TIES OF HONOR AND BLOOD: GENIUS FIANCEE" read the boldface. The article went on briefly about Ami, how she was a genius cram school student, chess ace, well liked. And engaged by a two generation old promise to an American. An average American student named Grey Shard. The article promised more surprising revelations in part two, but it clearly had some incorrect information. It stated that Ami and Grey-san were not getting along, and Kumori knew better than that.  
  
"Doctor Mizuno!" A nurse stuck her head in the office. "It's your daughter's fiance! It looks like her friends beat him up again!"  
  
Mizuno-sensei hung her head briefly. Ancient kingdom or not, maybe Ami needed a break from her friends. They might be a bad influence on her.  
  
---------  
  
Sailor Mercury was righteously ticked, though this was under several layers of her usual kind and gentle nature. Her fiance had been singled out for abuse. She was considered to be little more than a study-freak. And she'd figured out the Vice Principal's motive fairly easily.  
  
With many Japanese, the honor and prestige of the company they worked for was the same as their own honor and prestige. School officials often felt the same, the greater the reputation of their school - the greater they themselves felt they were.  
  
She was about to graduate anyway. She had confidence that she could ace "exam hell" even if she didn't touch another book before the exams.  
  
"MERCURY AQUA RHAPSODY!"   
  
"Medusa!" The snake haired girl turned towards her, shattering the ice without difficulty.  
  
Sailor Mercury got out her Mercury computer and started typing. Medusa, coupled with the Minotaura, meant that the new enemy had shifted tactics and was using a mythological theme.  
  
"VENUS LOVE ME CH..."   
  
"SPARKLING WIDE PRE..."  
  
Mercury blinked. Medusa? Wait one minute. That meant. A shadow loomed over her. Mercury glanced up.  
  
"Medusa," repeated Medusa, her eyes glowing red.  
  
---------  
  
She had ducked behind a corner, ready for either joining Nuku, or for keeping an eye on Shard-san's friends. Then a monster attacked. Still uncertain, she'd held back. Two of the Senshi were out of the battle, and a third about to go down. Though the plan had been for them not to get involved until later, there was an old saying in this line of work.  
  
"The battle plans last just long enough for the kimchi to hit the fan."  
  
That wasn't what she said, however. She said something more along the line of: "Honey FLASH!"  
  
Leaping down into the courtyard, she held her sword - the Silver Floret up in a salute. Three statues of Senshi, a few other students likewise standing about frozen, and one seriously frightened Sailor Moon in the background.  
  
A rose struck the Medusa in the head.   
  
The Silver Floret struck about a foot lower.  
  
Neither had much effect.  
  
"AKURYO TAISAN!"  
  
The spirit ward landing between its eyes *did* serve to momentarily divert its attention for a moment. Even though Sailor Mars came to the brief realization that looking the yoma in the eye long enough to slap the ward in place had *not* been a terribly bright tactical move.  
  
The snake-haired girl started shaking it off while Sailor Moon twirled her staff, preparing her new attack.  
  
A fourteen year old girl, seeing her new friends getting turned into statues, frustrated about not being able to do anything about her sempai, and having way too high a stress level at the moment, opened violet colored eyes beneath a forehead that had a glowing symbol that looked like the romaji letter "h".   
  
Purple light flared around Hotaru and a similar aura formed around Medusa. Medusa groaned and tried to move, but was quite obviously paralyzed.  
  
"Moon Spiral Heart... Attack!" Sailor Moon finally completed her attack.   
  
"Baka na..." The Medusa said, finally disintegrating.  
  
---------  
  
Kumori was an attending physician. Her specialty was pediatrics.  
  
Technically, because her daughter's fiance was the patient, she shouldn't have been present at all.  
  
There had been hustled in doctors from elsewhere, including a wizened old man she knew spoken of respectfully by anyone who'd met him. Doctor Tezuka. The physician/inventor who had built Mighty Tetsuwan back in the 1950s.  
  
One of the other physicians had commented that there was enough brass interested in the case to supply the entire island of Taiwan. Not being militarily inclined, Mizuno-sensei assumed this was a high number.   
  
All of which served to make Doctor Kumori Mizuno a bit self-conscious. While confident in her own skills and field of endeavor, she was definitely a small fish among the talents present. Not to mention she was a pediatrician, whereas many of those present had impressive amounts of letters behind their names.  
  
That they seemed to be mainly interested in making as thorough an examination as was possible, cataloging the injuries, puzzled her. Though the length of the list was beginning to worry her. Especially as she'd missed some of this.  
  
And the little corner of her mind that looked at all this and worried about her daughter being engaged to someone who had *this* level of interest in him grew.  
  
Doctor Tezuka's head came up at one point, and he stared momentarily at the seifuku clad girl who had brought him in, and who was now wearing scrubs and a mask and standing well away from the surgical table. "Robot?"  
  
"Papa-san says Nuku is cyborg."  
  
Doctor Tezuka nodded and returned to his work. "You see, Doctor Mizuno. Dis patient, he is capable of healing himself using da chi trance, ya?"  
  
"Yes, that's what he said," Mizuno agreed. "His wounds healed overnight as if he'd spent three weeks recovering. This didn't happen yesterday apparently."  
  
"Problem with dis is it usually require peculiar united state of mind, body, and spirit. Expert martial artist, ya? Young Shard-san here. He not that good. Also, healing even in experienced martial artist - dey need to know what injured to concentrate on healing dat. Head injuries very tricky, especially to heal wit' da chi." Doctor Tezuka lectured the younger physician, and not incidently a few of the others in the room. "Also, if dey is really knocked out badly or is drugged, dey not able to use chi. So, patient getting accumulated injuries. I hear your daughter not like engagement very much."  
  
Doctor Mizuno winced, both at the change of subject and at the implication that the little injection she'd given the boy to help him sleep had contributed to the current problem. "I've heard that rumor myself."  
  
"Vell, don't worry about dis. Dese things, dey have da way of working out. Or not." The Doctor stepped away from the patient, then pointed to one of a series of xrays. "You see dis here. Respiratory problems. Cyst in this bronchii here. Allergy or reaction cause constriction of bronchii, would be moderately uncomfortable. Old thing. Not caused by you's daughter's friends. This evidence also old injury, here in shoulder. Also not caused by you's daughter's friends."  
  
Kumori Mizuno thought (not for the first time today) about sending her daughter and fiance off to live in Shard-san's home for awhile. It might cut down on the violent influence of Ami's friends.  
  
Dr. Tezuka considered the xrays again. "Vell, good enough. We set hims up with room here, use IV - protein and mineral solution. That way his body has de building blocks to repair properly, ya?"  
  
Aware that as his nearest available responsible adult, she was being asked for input, Dr Mizuno nodded. "Ya."  
  
---------  
  
The school had just quieted down. Imposing looking men in black suits had driven up in unmarked moving vans and were moving around, taking statements, and loading some statues.  
  
"Wait!" A tearful Sailor Moon shouted at two men who were picking up a stoned Sailor Mercury. "That's not really a statue! That's the beautiful sailor suited warrior of exams and love, Sailor Mercury."  
  
A supervisor, dressed identically to the others but distinguishable because he had a clipboard, nodded at the two movers and then smoothly interposed himself between Sailor Moon and the two. "Sailor Moon, right?"  
  
"Uhm, yeah," the ponytailed princess agreed.  
  
"Agent Shi, Dept Of Public Safety. Would you rather your friends stay here in the courtyard of a high school where they can have graffiti painted on them among other indignities? Or would you rather they be moved to a place of safety?"  
  
"Uhm," fidgeted Sailor Moon. "This isn't a test is it? I don't do well on tests! Uhm, B?"  
  
The Man in Black nodded. "It just so happens that a local shrine, the Hikawa Shrine, has a number of statues arriving today as part of a Shinto commemoration. Since they are already being set up with some security measures, it's the nearest place where your comrades can be safely stored until you figure out a way to turn them normal. Fair enough?"  
  
"Uhm, errr, I..." Sailor Moon wasn't entirely sure she trusted them. After all, they were wearing black! But then so did Mamo-chan when he was in his Endymion armor. Then again, they were taking this all pretty calmly. Almost like it was routine.  
  
"Take the deal, Sailor Moon," advised Tuxedo Mask, who'd given up looking for "Sailor Honey" at this point.  
  
Shi nodded to the movers, who loaded Mercury into one of the vans with the other three statues, covered her with a padded blanket, then strapped the bundle to the sidewall. "Be gentle with her guys, she's a 'soldier of love' after all."  
  
Sailor Moon blinked, still thinking that this guy was treating the whole thing like an everyday occurance.  
  
"Now then, Sailor Moon," Agent Shi said while flipping through papers. "I need a few questions answered. We can go over this on the way if you'd like a ride to the shrine."  
  
--------  
  
Grey grumbled in his sleep as a pair of hands opened the window from the outside and eased into the room.  
  
She looked at the Nexus, and wondered about him, but there was much she could do.  
  
She gently bared his neck, and nipped once to draw the faintest trickle of blood. Then tasted it, her tongue dabbing up the blood quickly. Then swirled it around her mouth.  
  
One of those gentle nurturing types, she decided on the taste. Interesting that he had both the taste of a mature and somewhat bitter individual, as well as a younger and much less confident boy. A good fellow, underconfident, a bit shy, more comfortable backing someone else up than being the lead himself. Rolling the remainder of the blood about in her mouth, she considered the overall taste and decided that he would do.  
  
She had been many things over many years. Frankly the wild party animal thing was beginning to wear thin, as had the warrior-queen, the manipulative mistress, and the various other roles she'd adopted over the centuries.  
  
And her most recent fight, against the Vampire Lord, had been close. Too close. If she lost...   
  
The woman shuddered, and it had nothing to do with the thin bodystocking she wore or the chill of the air conditioned room.  
  
The boy's chi and manna were pathetically low. Low enough that she could pull this off. After all, Dimitri could not force her to be his thrall if she were already in thrall to another.  
  
Morrigan used the last energies of the boy's blood, momentarily taking control of his body. His mouth extended fangs as she puppetted him to bite deeply into the juncture of her shoulder and neck.  
  
She smiled, eyes closed, toes curling up involuntarily. "Ooooooh. It's been entirely too long."  
  
---------  
  
A monitor image flicked from "Darth Vader" in Virginia, to the Tarrasque in Iceland, to sahuagin now sneaking up on a set of houses in the Aleutian Islands, to the Central Park wyverns, to "mole men" coming out of caverns in Italy, to ettin in Malaysia, and finally a group of Invid in Australia. A single reaction greeted each image in the parade.  
  
Frothing.  
  
"Targetstargetstargetstargets..."  
  
Sailor Venus looked over at Edema and shook her head, tsking. "He hasn't killed anything evil in DAYS. It was unwise to let him check out Grey's simulation."  
  
"Targetstargets..."  
  
Celeste was blinking like mad. "But he just killed an evil goddess for crying out loud! Is there no satisfying him?"  
  
"I sure hope not." Makoto Jupiter acquired a sly smirk, letting the double meaning show.  
  
Several of the goddesses in the room shuffled to more comfortable sitting positions.  
  
Belldandy was shaking her head. "He is something of an addict."  
  
Still thinking in terms of double meanings, Celeste adjusted the temperature in the room down slightly.  
  
Edema was considering thoughfully. "Well Sugah, iffn we all can come up with some way ta keep the poor boy happy..."  
  
Belldandy mopped Jared's feverish forhead. "It's Grey. He makes almost the perfect monster bait, it seems everything about him screams an invitation to evil villains to come hurt him. It's taxing Jay-chan's control not to go attack the accumulated horde of evil and save his   
friend."  
  
"Targets!" He seemed to agree, eyes thrashing wildly. He was twitching almost exactly in the manner that would be expected of Nabiki Tendo in Scrooge McDuck's money vault.  
  
Sakyo noticed something. "Say. Isn't that Chibi Jay-chan now?"  
  
Several women looked at the childlike mage. "Yeah, so?" Nabiki the genie asked.  
  
"Hey, yeah! he was an adult a minute ago!" Ukyo added her two cents, agreeing with her clone daughter.  
  
Sakyo nodded. "So, what happened to his other two chibi selves?"  
  
As one the audience swiveled over to look at a monitor featuring one Chibi Jared lowering a simulator helmet onto the head of another. "I regret that my target has but one life to give for its country!"  
  
"NO!!" Celeste screamed, rising partway from her seat.  
  
In a moment out of other's control, both remaining Chibi Mages leaped into the appropriate seats.  
  
"This is a day for death or glory!"   
  
"Once more into the breach!" The last added, snooking it's helmet into place.  
  
Celeste had to act fast else she would have a mob on her hands of fiancees attempting to join him, slamming down her hand on the "Deny Entry/Exit To Simulation" button. "It'll take me a few minutes to extract him. Hold on!"  
  
--------  
  
NOTES:  
  
Yes, there *is* a rather strong discrepency in the power levels of Grey vs an SRU wizard.   
Grey's power level: uhm, well, he's physically stronger than Chibimoon. In Rifts Terms he'd be a minor psychic of Sensitive status, with the Chain as a sort of minor rune weapon.   
SRU Wizard's power level: pretty darn high. Greater than Beryl. Likely stronger than Galaxia, in his own way.  
This is rather like Bilbo taking on Sauron. If this was a frontal assault, admittedly, there wouldn't be much left of a certain chain-wielder.   
Ami, from what little i've seen (one season and bits of the rest), gets flustered under personal attention - particularly romantic. (Ami Special, various scenes in the 'S' series). i'm not bagging on her, but i don't think she'd be comfortable with being forced into this situation - especially with high school entry exams coming up.  



	9. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 9, Rewrite

  
A Soldier's Duty  
  
Chapter 9 4th Labor, Rewrite   
  
DISCLAIMER: Naoko Takeuchi created most of these characters and the general setting. Bill Hart created Spells R Us. Ranma crew by Rumiko Takahashi. Jared Saotome by White Pheonix. Lots of mess by metroanime@mindspring.com  
  
"How can you come to know yourself? Never by thinking, always by doing. Try to do your duty, and you'll know right away what you amount to." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)  
  
--------  
  
Four statues dreamed. It wasn't like there was a lot else they could do at the time. It wasn't like Sailors Mercury, Venus, Mars, or Jupiter had actually *planned* to look a medusa in the eyes. It was cold and dark and not a lot of fun. There wasn't much awareness of anything going on outside their stony prisons.  
  
Though Sailor Mars was quite aware that there were two ravens sitting on her head.  
  
Well, at least they were keeping the pigeons away.  
  
-------  
  
"Phobos? Deimos? What are you two doing?"  
  
The twins looked up and made shushing motions to Princess Mars. Curious, she got closer to peer around the window and see what the two littler girls had been watching. "oh. Him."  
  
"Shhhh. Princess! It's tragic," said Phobos.  
  
"Tragic it is," agreed Deimos.  
  
Princess Mars looked around the corner again. "It's just that Basalt person. I don't care what Coral says, he's still a country bumpkin. What's tragic about him." Working out with some odd serrated short sword in a flowing kata. Something indicated to the Princess that the weapon wasn't familiar to him.  
  
"You don't know, my Princess?" Phobos asked. "The tragedy is of the Shield."  
  
"The tragedy is of his heart," said Deimos with a nod.  
  
"Heart or shield?" The Princess asked. These two, her personal handmaidens, were being deliberately obtuse. Which, actually, happened quite often. If they weren't doing this they were finishing each others sentences or something equally annoying.  
  
Phobos let out a deep sigh and began to lecture the older girl. "The mission? Everyone was talking about it."  
  
"The Alien Derelict," supplied Deimos.  
  
"He was involved in *that!*" Rei put both hands over her mouth, then snuck a look back in the gym. "And he's not whimpering in a corner, hasn't pulled his eyes out of his sockets, or something similar? Well, that *is* kind of impressive..."  
  
"Twenty five of the best soldiers went in," remarked Phobos. "Three Knights. The Senshi of Vulcan."  
  
"Six came out," added Deimos. "Four were incurably insane and have since died."  
  
"A Senshi of a minor planetoid, and the Knight Of Fear has *always* been crazy." Princess Mars discounted. Though the story had made the rounds that the Knight Of Valor had been singing about purple dinosaurs as teleported into the sun.  
  
"Obsidian was one of the two survivors," remarked Phobos. "Basalt was the other. For one charged with the duty of guarding the Royal Nursery, even small missions were painful. For him to be banned..."  
  
"...tragic." Deimos summed up.  
  
"Silliness," said Princess Mars. ~Besides, it is the Knight Of Duty who guards the Royal Nursery. Not some esper Marine.~ "So what about the Shield?"  
  
"Heart's Shield," said Phobos. "So long as the wielder's heart is true, the shield cannot be broken."  
  
"And so with his heart broken, he has left the Shield behind," finished Deimos. "That the next Knight, whoever he be, may yet wield it in defense of his Kingdom."  
  
"The Queen did bestow upon him the sword in recognition of his service, and to cover the loss of the Shield," put in Phobos.  
  
"How tragic yet romantic," the twins said in unison.  
  
"Oh," said Rei, then suddenly realized she was herself again and not the long dead Princess.  
  
Except that Deimos and Phobos were still there.  
  
"If the Shield survived," said Phobos, "then his heart healing will bring it back."  
  
Deimos nodded, then winked at Rei. "Mind you, if Mercury dismisses the Knight..."  
  
"Then maybe we'll take him!" The twins giggled.  
  
Rei looked out at the darkness surrounding her as the twins changed back to the familiar ravens and left. "Okay, this has been surreal enough."  
  
-------  
  
Princess Venus was being kissed. Minako wasn't sure who, but he was very very good at it. Then as she came up for air, she saw who it was and Minako screamed. Or tried to. Unfortunately she was just along for the ride and felt her lips curve into a smile instead. "What was that for?"  
  
Malachite smirked and shrugged. "Tell me, Venus, what's your Uncle doing here?"  
  
"Uncle Bas?!" Venus perked up and started looking around.  
  
"Hey, you're with me, remember?" Malachite's grip on her arm tightened briefly.  
  
Venus piroutted a little. "Hah! The great general Malachite, wooer of thousands of women, jealous of my uncle?"  
  
"I stopped when I found my Princess," said Malachite with a disarming smile. "And frankly I could have seen the two of you getting together. You're not *that* closely related."  
  
"Not as close as *we* are gonna be," promised Princess Venus, moving closer again. It was a pity that the earlier self couldn't hear her future self, as Minako Aino was making all sorts of noises and comments in an effort not to participate in these events.  
  
--------  
  
Mercury had been curious after meeting with Basalt, and had gone after further information. Mars had broken up with Jadeite. Venus had been left without a word by Malachite. Jupiter had likewise seperated with that astrologer, Nephrite, though they broke up repeatedly. Meanwhile she got stuck with Zoicite, though their duties kept them seperate.  
  
While it was nice to have someone around, she'd have preferred knowing with what gender you were going to wake up with in bed with you in the morning.  
  
Not to mention some of Zoicite's weird habits. Kinkiness of *that* extent, well, Mercury had some trouble relating to the General. Such that she considered just calling the whole thing off, good relations with the Earth kingdom to the side. After all, she hadn't seen the General for over a month now.  
  
Not quite at the level of the Generals were the Knights. It might be intriguing to pursue that Nebula fellow. See what details she could worm out of him. Besides, after Zoicite having someone reliable and stable around was *quite* appealing.  
  
Maybe after this Ball given for the Princess and that Prince Endymion fellow. There was something going on, and all the Senshi were to attend. Mercury didn't know what, but there would be time to consider this matter later. Of course she'd have plenty of time...  
  
-------  
  
Jupiter sighed and looked out over the glittering lights of the Moon Kingdom. Her on-again, off-again, relationship with Nephrite was currently off again. Since then she'd briefly pursued three or four guys. One of which had been a serious relationship.  
  
She'd briefly hung around Sehan (Igneous) but while the boy was amusing, his utter lack of intelligence got to her after awhile. That had been three days. She'd toyed with pursuing Bennu, but admitted that the perfectionist made her feel inadequate in some respects. Two weeks of being among *his* crowd of admirers. A brief liason with a courier whose name she'd already forgotten. Two days, he just hadn't delivered. Then there'd been Basalt, who had been the sort of rock you could lean on in troubled times. Problem with him: utter lack of "studliness" and he'd still been moping about the Queen cutting him loose. Almost two months there, though he'd almost gotten over Serenity at that point. She'd gone after Narcissus then, but it quickly became obvious that he'd barely noticed - he was too into admiring himself to pay much attention to the world around him. Three days before she'd given up on him as a lost cause.  
  
Naturally, after Narcissus turned out to have a personality that would bore a rock, Jupiter had gone after Basalt again - to pick up where she'd left off. When Sailor Pluto had opened the door to his quarters...  
  
Jupiter had later learned that nothing had happened. Pluto's local dwelling had been getting sprayed and refurbished. She'd stayed over. A week after the two started "being friends" Pluto was assigned her duties as the Guardian Of The Gate Of Time. Off Pluto went, leaving Basalt alone again.  
  
Jupiter had been ready to go after Basalt once again, at least he was more reliable than Nephrite and didn't spend a lot of time talking about heavenly bodies. (If he did, Jupiter felt pretty sure he'd have been talking about her. Unlike Nephrite.) Except that Basalt had left, wandering the System as if to look for something. Then another five years with an on-off relationship with Nephrite. Then off again, apparently permanently. Finally bringing her here.  
  
Alone again, naturally.  
  
There were many times the Princess Jupiter regretted going after Narcissus, letting herself be swayed by Nephrite's confidence and aura, or just her own plain tendency to scare guys off.   
  
She wondered what had happened to Basalt, aka Nebula, alias the Knight Of Duty. Had he found someone, or did he wander the system still on his self-appointed vigil? Was duty now his only concern or did he still long for the sort of completeness that comes from two souls joining - something he'd confessed to her two days before she'd caught sight of Narcissus.  
  
Turning, Princess Jupiter walked up the stairs towards the balcony, still so deep in thought that she didn't notice the soldier she passed along the way.  
  
Makoto Kino's dream self yelling that she had just passed that very Knight was unnoticed.  
  
--------  
  
"-So you see the problem?-" Mamoru said to the boy he was helping support.  
  
"-Yeah,-" croaked Grey. "-Turning 'em back from Senshi mode might free them from the petrification.-"  
  
Kumori Mizuno looked over the statue that she understood to be her daughter and decided she'd broach the subject about having her daughter study in America. All they had to worry about was muggers and the like, hardly anyone got turned to stone over there. At least it hadn't happened on any episode of that imported show "Cops" that she'd seen.  
  
"-Uhm, you look better than you did, how... -" Mamoru wasn't sure how to bring this up.  
  
"-Infusion of chi. Don't know from where. i need more rest to make use of it, but i agree this is a priority.-" Grey let go of where Doctor Mizuno was helping to support her in order to place his fingers up against Mercury's tiara. "-It's the way of the Silver Millenium warriors to discover or remember new things in a moment of need and stress. So i remembered this when they were at that bar.-  
Warrior, thy duty's done,  
Be now at peace, the course is run,  
The battle's fought, thy course was true,  
Rest, warrior, till summoned anew."  
  
There was a brief flaring of light at the point of contact, then Ami slumped forward to be caught by Usagi. "AMI-CHAN!"  
  
"-Are you up to this?-" Mamoru looked at the trembling boy. "-You look kind of pale.-"  
  
"-Best to be done quickly, then just let me sleep here please. i am *not* going to be able to make it much further under my own power.-" Grey motioned towards the next one, Sailor Jupiter.  
  
Sailor Jupiter was transformed back, then Venus, and finally Mars. By then, the sometimes Soldier Of Duty looked like he was nearly walking dead.  
  
"Usagi, what?" The three transformed soldiers started asking questions while Mamoru managed to carry the fallen Knight into Rei's room.  
  
Usagi, with commentary from Ami's mother, filled the three in on the events. Another new Senshi, Hotaru was some sort of Senshi herself, Ami's fiance had proven again that he wasn't just another "needs to be constantly rescued from yoma attacks" boy (Something that happened on TV magical girl series way too often), the interview on the way out with that Agent Shi who seemed really really interested in hearing about Crystal Tokyo and longrange plans of the Senshi, and finally Usagi closed with a tearful hug of Rei wailing about how she had been so afraid they'd never see each other again. Though if Rei had remained a statue, Usagi had promised she'd come out and clean the pigeon droppings off her every week at least!  
  
Rei had been getting all Warm And Fuzzy until that last remark, but uncharacteristically decided she'd not say something short and nasty at the moment.  
  
"Damn. We owe him again," Minako said, casting a sideways glance at Ami. "Girl, if you don't want your fiance, let someone else have a chance."  
  
Ami blinked at Minako, not able to think of a suitable reply right on the moment.  
  
"Excuse me, Rei?" Mamoru came out, still carrying Grey in a fireman's carry. "Where's all your things?"  
  
Rei sighed. "I wanted to tell you all about this earlier, but everything I had is missing. It's like the shrine was abandoned months ago."  
  
"The other statues are being held in protective custody," said Dr. Mizuno. "It's nearly four o'clock. Might I suggest everyone that has to be home get there?"  
  
"Rei-chan, I've got a spare futon, ya can bunk with me," Makoto indicated.   
  
"Oh no, I've got to... study," Ami nearly choked on that last word, glancing sadly at her fiance. Not that he noticed as he was unconscious again.  
  
------  
  
Elsewhere in Tokyo:  
  
Haruka and Michiru were into hot and heavy kissing action working up to steamier topics when a child crawled onto their bed and spoiled the mood entirely, with about the same effectiveness and surprise value as a bucket full of icy cold water would've.  
  
"Hi!" He announced, seating himself on Michiru's stomach. "I'll be staying with you. Can you read me a story?" The child asked, presenting a childrens book to Haruka.  
  
The Outers were a little too busy gaping like fish to react much. After swallowing several times Michiru blurted out (trying to sit up but finding that difficult with him seated on her belly). "Who are you??!"  
  
The child shrugged. "I'm the Knight of Reason, and I think you two were being very naughty. I think it comes from being lonely on those outer planets that you're senshi of. Queen Serenity should have invited you to more parties where you could get out and meet guys."  
  
Haruka HAD a response to the original intrusion but it pretty much died a horrid death at that last couple of statements. She wasn't sure if Michiru would appreciate what she *wanted* to say regarding that very last statement, at least in front of a child.  
  
Seeing their reaction was going to hold the child opened his book and began to read. "Once upon a time there was a great Moon Kingdom... Aaaahhh!!"  
  
Michiru had sat up with great force, sending the kid flying. Haruka was out of bed pouncing on the little critter when at once the tables turned. When he had tickled them both into submission the child resumed reading, seated on the pile of exhausted and helpless Sailors. "I'll skip to the good part 'cause it's past my bedtime... To safeguard these three talismans two Senshi volunteered to hide them in their hearts so they would always be there if need arose, but never be easy for an enemy to find or steal. Those senshi were Neptune and Uranus. The third talisman was stored in another soldier's heart." The child yawned. "Queen Serenity taught them how to take the items and store them in their pure hearts, drawing them out with certain words, or if those three hearts were joined in case the words were lost. Those words..." Chibi Jared blinked in tiredness and yawned again, closing the book.  
  
"It's past my bedtime and I'm sleepy. Would one of you tuck me in?"  
  
He pretty much expected their reaction.   
  
Unfortunately neither of them could read the book and Jared was, by then, apparently curled up asleep on Haruka's middle back.  
  
Michiru went for an air horn to wake him up with.  
  
Elsewhere, a certain goddess of J-pop traced one of the intrusion lines and activated a preset sequence.  
  
Michiru and Haruka were wondering how to wake the child up (Haruka at this point being for dangling the tyke outside the window by one leg, and Michiru was debating whether throwing the little boy in the pool would suffice) when they nearly jumped out of their slippers at *another* strange event. This one being a pillar of pink light stabbing down out of the ceiling to surround the little boy.  
  
Said little boy bounced up, then bounced off the insides of the pink wall. "Oh puckernuts."  
  
Michiru paused thoughtfully at the music playing in the background. Watching as the light retreated *with* the little boy. "Handel's Messiah," she identified, "though I've never heard it played with synthesizers and electric guitars before."  
  
Another pink light bloomed, revealing an indistinct angel. "We're very sorry for the inconvenience. Please continue to throw your efforts into hunting the wrong persons if you like. Again, we're sorry for this intrusion. Fare thee well."  
  
Seeing the "angel" about to disappear, along with any clues as to what was going on, Haruka shifted to Sailor Uranus with greater speed than she ever had and commenced with a "WORLD SHAKING!"  
  
The blast was perfect, just as powerful as anything she'd ever thrown. The explosion from this close managed to throw both Michiru and Sailor Uranus herself back against the far wall.  
  
The angel frowned but showed absolutely no sign of hurt. Their bedroom, however...  
  
Their heavenly visitor took a deep breath, visibly counted to ten, then smiled. "All right, in any case..."  
  
"DEEP SUBMERGE!" Michiru had transformed to Sailor Neptune while the angel counted to ten. Another explosion.  
  
The girl hovered there above the gaping pit blown into their penthouse by the two attacks. "All righty then." At that point a large section of roof collapsed over her head.  
  
"Again?" Sailor Neptune asked.  
  
"Again!" Sailor Uranus replied, summoning her attack.  
  
"DEEP SUBMERGE!" "WORLD SHAKING!"  
  
The dust cleared again. There still wasn't any visible damage to the being's clothing. Her temper, however, was clearly on life support. "That, freaking, DOES IT! Turning the other cheek is one thing, but I, Amaterasu Omikami, am not a damn practice dummy!"  
  
"WORLD-O..." Haruka was ready to try again, maybe if she pushed her attack.  
  
"NOVA FLARE!"  
  
There were panicked calls into every radio station and newspaper in Tokyo about a nuclear weapon being used on that tower. Even though the damage was far too concentrated and light, the intensity of the flash could obviously not be anything else. The explosions seen beforehand were troubling. The initial investigation concluded that explosive devices were being stored in the penthouse, and an APB went out for the two registered occupants of that penthouse.   
  
The flare of magical energies was enough to wake up a certain Setsuna Meiou, who realized that she really ought to get out of this closet before someone got entirely the wrong impression about her.  
  
-------  
  
Appearing at the terrace of a large hotel, another copy of a certain Chibi-Mage assessed the situation.  
  
Practically everyone had fled from this close to the invaders. Further back you could see the tide of humanity observing.  
  
The exception was a teenage rock band nearby that were just staring with open mouths.  
  
"How come you haven't evacuated?" Chibi-Jared asked.  
  
"Ow wow. A hobbit? Cool!" The lead guitarist took the appearance of Chibi-Jared in stride. "I figure we must be stoned out of our minds, otherwise I'd be scared sh*tless, little dude."  
  
The diminiutive mage shrugged. It took all kinds he supposed.  
  
Jared considered the forces arrayed against him. Four AT-AT units moving like some huge Pleistocene herd. Two of the smaller Scout AT units. Sixty white clad Stormtroopers with laser rifles. Darth Vader.  
  
Obviously, he wanted to go one-on-one with Vader. The problem was that the various forces surrounding the Sith Lord would not be happy with him just going up and challenging their General.  
  
Throwing up a hand, Jared cast Monster Summoning, hoping for a swarm of distractions that would allow him a few minutes of light saber battle with his chosen opponent.  
  
The Pheonix Mage was aware of his god markings flaring to life as he cast the spell. Something to do with his position as god of crossovers, but what? Oh... Oh dear.  
  
"RrrraaaaaaaaaaaRONK!" *THOOM!* *THOOM!*  
  
Jared blinked. "Uhm. Okay. Maybe this is overkill."  
  
Godzilla (or Gojira if you prefer) roared again and started running forward towards the lead AT-AT.  
  
"Or maybe not," mused Jared. Hmmm.  
  
The drummer yelled. "Let's get ready to rrrruummmbleee!"  
  
"Hey dudes, there's a perfect song for this," the guitarist said and started playing as the havoc commenced.  
  
"With a purposeful grimace and terrible sound,  
he pulls the spitting high tension wires down!"  
  
Godzilla bodyslammed one of the AT-AT units, knocking it over onto its side. "RrrrraaaaRONK!"  
  
"Helpless people on subway trains,  
scream bug-eyed as he looks in on them."  
  
Chibi-Jared teleported, the Imperial Forces were in sufficient turmoil that his duel was possible now. Which was a pity, as he completely missed seeing Godzilla do a spinning back kick that completely removed the head of one of the other AT-ATs.  
  
"He picks up a bus and he throws it back down,  
As he wades through the buildings towards the center of town."  
  
"RrrrraaaaaaRONK!"   
  
*Visshhhhhhhh!* "So, short one, you seek to challenge a Sith Master?"  
  
Chibi-Jared drew a sword that was a bit too large for his current form. "Only a Master of bad dialogue, Vader!"  
  
"Oh no, they say he's got to go,  
Go go Godzilla!"  
  
-------  
  
Sailor Uranus realized that she was alive. Dead couldn't possibly hurt this much. "Ne-nephune?!"  
  
"Unnngh?"  
  
Sailor Uranus let out a sigh of relief. Except it sounded more like a moan of pain. Slowly she tried to open her eyes, convinced that someone had parked a moving van on top of them. "Ummmm. Can ooo fee anyfing?" Sailor Uranus became aware that her lips were swollen, her skin felt raw as if she had a massive sunburn, and all she was seeing was pink light.  
  
"Fweeeh." Sailor Neptune tried to speak, then reached out with her tongue and waggled a tooth. Then abruptly lost her Senshi transformation as her mana pool had dropped below the level to keep her transformed. "Owie."  
  
Sailor Uranus felt her lose her own transformation, and realized that she was lying on a concrete floor, wearing her pajamas with the little racecars on them. "Oh cwum..."  
  
Michiru blinked repeatedly, regaining a bit of sight, and slowly peeled herself off the wall she'd imbedded in. "We appear to be in an office building in Kyoto."  
  
"What? Thah cann be wight."  
  
"I may have trouble seeing at the moment, but that *looks* like Nijojo Castle there."  
  
"Uhnnnn?"  
  
"Haruka-chan," Michiru put this delicately as she felt exhaustion rolling over her, "might I suggest that next time we attack someone who proclaims herself to be Amaterasu, that we apologize profusely?"  
  
"Unnn?"  
  
"For one thing she burned calligraphy on the floor stating that the next time she won't be as gentle." Michiru settled down on a bare spot, she just needed to rest a moment. That was all.  
  
"Ahhh."  
  
-------  
  
"Amaterasu!"  
  
"Hey, they're the ones who started it!"  
  
-------  
  
"...lo-bu ho-te-ru..."  
  
As one might imagine, this rather effectively caught Kumori Mizuno's attention, even with the wildly differing shifts she'd been working this week. Even at 6am. Well, this would finally put those rumors about her daughter being a violent maniac who hated her fiance to rest. She stopped with her door to the main room ajar and continued to listen.  
  
"I object!" That was Hotaru's voice. "You should not go alone. What if it's a trap? Besides, you're still heavily injured."  
  
"I object as well. You should have a chaperone." Kumori couldn't place *that* voice at all.  
  
"Hmmm? Sure this isn't an excuse for you and 'La Blue Girl' to undergo some horizontal grappling practice?" Another unfamiliar voice?  
  
"Slowly please. Words trouble making out i am."  
  
"You better have trouble 'making out' - what will your parents think?"  
  
"I-I-I-I-I'm not sure about this! I'm sorry!"  
  
"-Ami-chan, like i said, it's got some of those peculiar feelings. i think it's worth checking out in case it's a lead to the people who attacked Hotaru's pop.-"  
  
Dr. Mizuno couldn't avoid smirking at the possible meanings of the phrase "peculiar feelings."  
  
-------  
  
A woman with long dark hair (highlights of green) held up a newspaper article. "-By the way, have you seen the names named herein?-"  
  
"-Puu-chan? i have no clue for kanji.-"   
  
"-If you'll look here,-" said the woman with a sultry expression and pointing to a particular place on the article, "-there is the name Meiou. Why, what an amazing coincidence. That's *my* name.-"  
  
"What's the old lady saying?" Hotaru asked, not sure why someone so much older would be acting interested in *her* sempai.  
  
"'old lady'" repeated Setsuna with a wince. "That's not very nice, *little* girl."  
  
"-Ami, you ought to come with me. We still don't know what'll happen when you transform to Sailor Mercury - but your visor and computer should work. Between my chain and your visor we ought to be able to get better readings from the inside.-"  
  
"Oh," said a few people with tones ranging from disappointment to relief.  
  
Grey glanced up. "-Hey, Puu... i mean Sailor Pluto. Aren't those the red shield earrings that...-"  
  
"-...you gave me that night just before I was summoned to see the Queen?-" Setsuna's smile was somehow reminiscent of a feline. "-Why, as a matter of fact. Yes, they are.-"  
  
Ami looked up at the earrings. Then realized, for some reason that completely escaped her, that she was clenching her jaw.   
  
Switching back to Japanese, Grey continued. "Per doctor's orders, school from stay i must. Will instead school other visit many foreigners where congregate."  
  
There was some working out of that from the native Japanese speakers. "A school for other non-Japanese? Ah," said Ami. Well, that would at least cut down on some of the rumors.  
  
"Agree though. Should not go alone. So who go with me to love hotel?" Grey wondered why every girl present turned immediately red.  
  
"I shall go," interposed Ami, recovering first. "After all, Shard-san, we are engaged."  
  
Grey felt the sudden grip Ami had put on his arm and wondered why Ami had latched on like that. Could this mean? No, surely not. Right?  
  
---------  
  
The girl looked at the newspaper and frowned thoughtfully. Part One had revealed this boy from America, who had ties of honor from two generations previous linking him to some cram school ace. Part One had revealed just enough to spark a storm of differing opinions.   
  
Part Two looked to do the same. Other arrangements had been made within a decade. Sebastian Shard had apparently been a bit heroic, quite intelligent, and by all accounts had never understood how serious some of the pledges and vows had been. He had made an assumption that these reactions would all blow over. Proving that one could live in Japan over a decade, and still not understand the Japanese.  
  
The girl continued to read and frown. Her mother's maiden name had been Katsuragi. Of her branch of the family, there was only one child she knew of. Herself.  
  
Looking out the station window she considered. The comments against the engagement of someone as "valuable" as Ami Mizuno seemed to focus on that aspect of the arrangement.  
  
She had spent years pursuing vengeance. After folding the paper under an arm, Ukyo Kuonji stepped on to the train. She'd just scout out this. Her honor depended on vengeance, but maybe... maybe she had something else to live for besides vengeance?  
  
-----------  
  
Celeste did make a good simulation. In fact, this one was almost her child simply in terms of sheer obsessive work that she'd spent putting it together.   
  
When the word had come down that a simulated reality was needed for the Fourth Labor, due to problems (interference) that had occurred in prior Labors, Celeste had expressed moderate interest in the concept. When she'd started on it she had begun developing more and more enthusiasm as she went into areas that normally she wouldn't have even considered.  
  
When she was done, it was a labor all right. A labor of love. She'd gotten input from Saint Vidicon and a number of others, but the final result had been completely hers. She'd built the programs which had built the programs which followed her parameters to spin the scenario.  
  
Even the completely computer simulated characters had a past. Those who were inserted into the simulation, even more detail had been developed.  
  
Sakura Shinguchi sat before her elders, head bowed. Her great grandfather and great grandmother's photos on the shrine before her and behind her mother and grandmother. Reminding her of that earlier Sakura - her likeness and namesake who had fought demons in turn-of-the-century Tokyo.  
  
"He has come. Ancient honor ties call you to Tokyo, my daughter."  
  
"But... he's Americajin?" Sakura didn't understand this part. How could an ancient honor tie be to a foreigner when the Japanese had been *very* isolationist up until (comparitively) recently.  
  
"Nobody's perfect," declared Sakura's mother, snapping her fan open. "What is the mission of our clan?"  
  
"To slay demons and devils and long leggedy beasties that go bump in the night," said Sakura automatically.  
  
"To that end," rasped her grandmother, "certain ties of bloodlines must be made. Devilhunters are born not made."  
  
"Yes, I know but..." Sakura caught up with the conversation. "What?! I thought only Japanese carried the genes for devilhunting?"  
  
"If that were true, than only the Ainu would be able to do it. As it is, we have ancient prophesy indicating that the bloodline must be strengthened from within and from without. In this generation, it is from without."  
  
Sakura, a fifteen year old girl who had been stuck in her small mountain village most of her life considered this. And, with the priorities of a fifteen year old girl who was typical in most regards, asked the question she considered most important.  
  
"Is he cute?"   
  
-------  
  
There were those who would say that there were no more ninjas, save the ones who worked in movies. Ninjas and their arts had died out during the Disarmament and later years as well as samurai and the time of the feudal era. No, ninjas were just a common fantasy of modern films and the like. No basis in reality.  
  
Of course, the ninjas themselves often spread such opinions. They didn't exist, therefore that could *not* be a ninja hacking into your computer system. That could not possibly be a ninja going over your phone records. That definitely could *not* be a ninja taking photographs of you from an abandoned office or skulking about in the shadows over there behind your car.  
  
Tiger Tanaka, head of Japan's most secret spy network, did *not* employ ninjas. They didn't exist, after all.  
  
Kasumi and Ayane could not be ninjas who practiced the Mugen Tenshin style, called here by their superior after yet *another* fight regarding a boy named Hayabusa. A fight that had ended with that boy (who also obviously could not be a ninja) declaring that he never wanted to see either of these overly violent bimbos again and wouldn't date either of them if ordered to by the Head Of His Clan. Since he had sworn this in FRONT of the amused Clan Chief, and on his personal honor, that pretty much closed the door on either of them ending up with Hayabusa.  
  
Naturally the two blamed each other for this development.  
  
"Violent oversexed bimbo," muttered Kasumi, holding an icepack over one eye.  
  
"Prissy flatchested heroine," returned Ayane, fingering the bandage over her nose.  
  
"Both of you, SHUT UP!" Tiger said. He didn't actually raise his voice, he just managed to make that same sort of impact. "Your rivalry has no place here. This is business."  
  
Kasumi bit back a retort about how she was NOT flatchested. She was 17 years old, in the prime of her life, and had a busty if lithe figure. No, definitely not flatchested. She was Eurasian, with reddish brown hair that didn't look horribly out of place, and soft brown eyes that could glisten with tears on a moment's notice.   
  
Ayane would have liked to mention her own stats in reply. She was 16 years old and had been Kasumi's rival for most of the past ten years. The same height, though slightly lighter, except that her bust was slightly bigger. Something she delighted in pointing out to Kasumi. They'd fought over Hayate (Kasumi's half-brother) previous to the fight over Hayabusa. Hayate had declared (after his release from the hospital) that he would not date Ayane and didn't want to associate with his half sister thereafter either.  
  
Seeing the two of them ready to leap out of their seats and start fighting right there, Tiger decided to remind them of a few things. He spoke to both of the mixed parentage girls. He informed them that he had *thought* that these two girls were modern products of the best eugenics program in the world, trained and disciplined martial artists. Clearly he was wrong with the two squabbling little girls who had somehow appeared in his presence when he had summoned two talented and promising ninja.  
  
Tiger Tanaka went into great detail, never repeating himself, as he reduced the two girls to three years old, twelve inches height, and near tearful states. Even the "tough bad girl" Ayane.  
  
Tiger finished then managed to look brooding and mildly unhappy. "You two are aware of the eugenics program first dreamt of several centuries ago. The best warriors, the best houses, the best espers, the talented and the healthiest. If it worked for cattle, why not men? Simply get these best of the best together, and sooner or later there are children involved. Nature itself helps this concept."  
  
Both girls colored. Kasumi thinking of Hayabusa, Ayane of Hayate.   
  
"Sebastian Shard was a treasure. That 'little voice' he referred to on numerous occasions was a true psychic talent, had he been of a more warlike bent he could have been the most dangerous man I'd ever crossed paths with. Instead he was a gentle man full of humor. His grandson has the same potential." Tiger waited for the realization to penetrate.  
  
They were both quite comely. Kasumi with her mix of classic Japanese features with just the right amount of Caucasian to give her a slightly exotic look. Ayane who looked even more exotic, with her pale hair and flair for what would be unbearably cute costumes were she not so harsh and deadly in personality. Then both realized what he had said and their eyes widened and mouths dropped at the same time.  
  
"YOU CAN'T MEAN?!"  
  
Tiger nodded. "Oh, admittedly the boy is only fifteen. You'd have to wait a year for marriage. Not that having one of our agents in a 'friendly' country like the US doesn't also have some appeal. We *have* been known to loan agents to each other in time of need."  
  
"b-b-but..." Kasumi flushed at the thought of what the boss was suggesting.  
  
"Hmph. I doubt some American could handle someone like me," Ayane said with a superior air, recovering as best she could.  
  
"I doubt he would even *want* to handle you," Kasumi couldn't help but add.  
  
"Misato, Ritsuko, and Maya are already in place. Ayane, what is the policy objective you were given when you inquired about the eugenics plan when you discovered something of your parentage?"  
  
Ayane closed her eyes, then frowned. "To protect the world from devastation?"  
  
"To unite all peoples within our nation?" Kasumi blinked.   
  
"To fight for things like truth and love," continued Ayane.   
  
Tiger rubbed the bridge of his nose briefly. "No. And I can see your training has not been nearly strict enough. Both of you will go to Tokyo. I will review your folders and decide which of you will act as support for the other, and who will approach Shard-san."  
  
Kasumi looked at Ayane. Ayane looked at Kasumi. They both made retching noises.  
  
Tiger pressed a button. The chairs, and their occupants, dropped into a room far below. "Yes, they definitely need more training."  
  
---------  
  
"Oh, here's the part two," said Nabiki. "Hmmm. Say, Daddy, do you recall anything about a Sebastian Shard?"  
  
"Sebastian Shard?" Soun thought momentarily. "Yes, I vaguely recall the name."  
  
"According to this newspaper, both the Tendo and Saotome clans have an honor arrangement stretching back to 1952 for 'uniting the families'. That makes this guy even more a subject of 'family honor' than Ranma-kun here," said Nabiki. ~Hmmm. A crack at the open markets there, if this pans out. Maybe the guy's cute. If he doesn't turn into a girl, big plus. And who the heck would have thought *that* would ever be serious consideration. Fifteen sai. Dang, two years younger. It'd never work. Pity.~  
  
"Pfeh. I bet *he* didn't ask for any of this either. S'pose he's engaged to some uncute tomboy too?"  
  
*WHAM!*  
  
"Shut up, Ranma!" This insufferable boy had been engaged to her for two days. Two days too long as far as Akane Tendo was concerned.  
  
"It's of no consequence," said Soun. "He is a gaijin. We mustn't dilute the noble samurai bloodline of the Tendo family. Saotome is also descended from samurai, so that's quite different."  
  
"Hmmm, a lottery winner" said Nabiki, thinking of the typical Japanese lottery. ~Probably a shopping spree at the local drugstore. Maybe he's a better catch than Ranma.~ "Oh here it is. Biggest multi-state jackpot in their history, yadda yadda, parents investing the money through various holdings, etcetera, a hundred and ten..."  
  
Kasumi looked up from serving rice to the bottomless pit across the breakfast table. Like Nabiki, she was thinking about the sort of lotteries at carnivals or drugstore openings. "A hundred and ten what, Nabiki?"  
  
Nabiki was pale and shaking as she looked up from the paper. "a... one hundred and ten million dollars..."   
  
Ranma finished crawling back in, giving a brief glare towards Akane. "How much is that in yen?"  
  
Seeing that Nabiki was now twitching slightly, Kasumi made a guess. "220 yen to the dollar, so that should be twenty four thousand, two hundred, million yen." She paused. "Oh my, that's rather a lot."  
  
Nabiki twitched some more. Images of gleaming piles of yen filled her mind's eye. Now an image of herself in a wedding dress, swimming around in that pile of yen. The backstroke, to be precise.  
  
Soun put down his own section of the paper, beginning to twitch himself. "Twenty four thousand two hundred million yen."  
  
Genma stopped stealing Ranma's breakfast. "Twenty four thousand two hundred million yen." A gleam began entering his eyes.  
  
Ranma shrugged. "Big deal."  
  
Akane shrugged, for once in agreement with Ranma. Under normal circumstances, if either parent had noticed this tiny little connection there would have been celebration and dancing and calls for the wedding to take place immediately.  
  
Nabiki twitched a couple more times. The little dream image Nabiki was diving about like a happy koi, showers of yen coins everywhere.  
  
"Oh my," said Kasumi, absently wiping a trail of drool from Nabiki's mouth.  
  
---------  
  
A little girl with pink hair done up in two odangos that looked like ears of corn frowned up at her guide. "I do *not* see the Tenth Street High School."  
  
Ryouga looked around. "You're right. Where could they have moved it? Arrrghh. Ranma Saotome, this also is your fault!"  
  
Chibiusa frowned. "Oniisan, Tenth Street High School is in Azabu Juuban. In Tokyo."  
  
"Yeah, I know. It's around here somewhere. Just give me a moment."  
  
"That sign there says we're in Arata-cho in Kobe, oniisan."  
  
"Oh, then that means we've got to go *this* way. Now I know where we are!" Ryoga immediately set out to the North to get to the train station. Which, of course, was actually South.  
  
Wondering if maybe she *shouldn't* have asked the nice boy for directions, Chibiusa wondered if maybe she should just find a phone and *call* for help. No, Usagi would never let her forget that indignity. She'd just have to do this on her own.  
  
---------  
  
Michiru came to an inelegant halt. This was surprising enough that it took Haruka a few moments to realize that her partner had done so.  
  
Televisions were displaying a news conference.  
  
It wasn't until Haruka noticed that the pictures displayed behind the speaker were class photos of herself and Michiru that Haruka understood why Michiru looked even worse than she had last night.  
  
Reporter #1: "So you're denying that these two are responsible for blowing up the home of Professor Tomoe a few days ago?"  
  
Police Representitive: "I'm saying nothing of the sort. These two are merely wanted for questioning. The explosions *were* of a similar type and there is some evidence that the two students were sighted near the Professor's home that day."  
  
Reporter #2: "So you're saying that they may be innocent victims in all this..."  
  
Police Rep: "Exactly."  
  
Reporter #2: "or they may indeed be mad dog terrorist scum that need to be put down before they threaten the lives of more innocent Japanese citizens!"  
  
Police Rep: "That is *not* what I was saying!"  
  
Reporter #1: "But you're not denying the possibility?"  
  
Police Rep: "Well... no, I can't completely rule it out. The investigation is still pending..."  
  
Reporter #2: "There you are! Innocent schoolchums or terrorists with an unknown agenda ready to visit *your* neighborhood! Stay tuned for details on this breaking story!"  
  
Michiru blinked. "Haruka?"  
  
"Michi?"  
  
"Let's get a nice cup of coffee at the kissaten."  
  
"How are we going to pay for it. You're wearing a nighty, I'm wearing pajamas. It's either that or switch to being Sailor Uranus and Neptune."  
  
Michiru considered. "That might actually draw *less* attention, wouldn't it?"  
  
"Excuse me, Miss? Miss?"  
  
Michiru stiffened. Haruka stiffened. Slowly they turned.  
  
The police officer smiled nicely at the two. "Please to come this way."  
  
---------  
  
"Reports," requested the Wizard, suppressing a yawn. It had been a long night.  
  
"Unexpected resistance and allies prevented the completion of the 'rescue' at the School," reported Kaolinite, not masking her disgust at the thought having to rescue someone who'd given her such a humiliating haircut. She could use energies to manifest longer hair, but as soon as she stopped she was back to looking like a Marine recruit.  
  
"An attempt to send daimon to steal pure hearts abroad failed due to a lack of suitable targets," confessed Mimette. She had been so sure too.  
  
"Where did you send them?" Eudial asked.  
  
"Hollywood, Washington DC, the Japanese Diet Building, and Bangkok," said Mimette, not understanding why the daimon had starved.  
  
"Mimette-kun," groaned the Wizard. "I think you should stick to simpler exercises for now."  
  
Mimette fumed as the other Witches giggled or smirked at her expense.  
  
"In keeping with your," Eudial hesitated a moment, "tastes, I modified a few daimon so that they are able to remove the 'Iron Key' of independent thought from victims. They will be ready for testing later today."  
  
"Good," was the Wizard's comment. "What of your other task, Terurun?"  
  
"While the doppelgangers are less intelligent than an average human, no one has noticed or commented on the world leaders I've replaced so far." Terurun was a bit puzzled at this, but let it slide. "We already have things sliding into place giving us complete control of China, Russia, and Greece. Soon our agents in France, Germany, and Swaziland should have things ready. When we have a clear majority, it will be time for the United Nations representitives to be replaced."  
  
"Excellent." Topple the leaders, quash the resistance, stir things up, then provide relief and stability - under his rule. Raise the sheep's standard of living under his command and they would ignore any number of things he or the Witches did. "Now, I'm activating a few generals who will not interfere with you. Nor will you interfere with them. They are entirely seperate from both you and each other."  
  
"Why?" Eudial frowned, more competition was *not* appreciated.  
  
"There is one who could interfere with our progress. He has meddled, though in a minor way. To provide him other, more tempting targets, I have given some minor abilities to others for him to face." The Wizard gestured, and an image of an shriveled old man running down the street appeared. "The demon Happosai has been freed and given a modified Midas Touch ability. Anyone whom he touches flesh to flesh becomes a piece of feminine lingerie. As you can see he is quite happy with this talent and is currently running amuck in a place of no other consequence known as Minneapolis."  
  
The Witches 5, and Kaolinite, shuddered at the look of glee on the old man's face.  
  
Another gesture, another image. "This boy is named Ataru Moroboshi. In another world, another time, he would have met an alien beauty and not be quite the menace to society he is now. Like Happosai, he has a Midas Touch ability, but this one I call the 'Bimbo Touch'." The Wizard shrugged. He, like all Spells R Us wizards, liked overendowed, underintelligent, giggly, and "easy" bimbos. He had (it being *the* specialty of the cursed item shop) lots of experience turning unwilling people into that physical and mental two dimensional cariacture - and they were quite easily led and predictable.  
  
The look of happy idiocy on the boy's face caused the Witches to wonder if the boy was partially affected by his own power.  
  
Another gesture, another image. This one was a massively overmuscled male figure, ripping and tearing his way through an aircraft carrier. "And here we have a man named Balrog. He now has the ability to absorb the fighting essence and skills of those he makes contact with. He plans on betraying me, of course. What he doesn't know is that at a certain point he will run into Ataru Moroboshi or Happosai, and that will end his threat. Also that a certain degree of the energies he absorbs is siphoned off for our own use."  
  
The Witches saw a chance of getting out from under the Wizard's rule if they could warn this fellow in time, but none gave an indication of the idea.  
  
"Finally we have this one, in many ways the worst of the lot." The Wizard smirked. "Though I will unleash Galaxia only at the utmost need."  
  
----------  
  
The train was singularly unremarkable. An old train built back in the early 70s, which still ran its same route in the outlying areas of Japan.  
  
That two ninja who did NOT like each other were sharing a cabin with two other ninja, next to a compartment with a samurai girl, that was a little more rare.  
  
Ayane was wearing a minidress and tank top and was apparently reading a copy of "Soldier Of Fortune" magazine.  
  
Kasumi was wearing a peasant blouse with a long skirt, sunhat held in her lap, while she read a fashion magazine.  
  
The other two, Maria and Oomori, merely looked uncomfortable in the presence of the two battle auras. They were dressed in nondescript school uniforms that could have belonged to a half dozen high schools in the Tokyo area alone.   
  
Ayane switched "Soldier Of Fortune" for "Guns & Ammo" after perusing the want ads and wondering if maybe she should request some personal time to go after some of those jobs listed. Or were they meant to be jokes? With Americans it was sometimes hard to tell, they took the oddest things seriously. "Just stay out of my way."  
  
"You stay out of *my* way," Kasumi said, without looking up from an article on summer fashions.  
  
"If you two go after this guy the way you did Hayate or Hayabusa, you're going to fail this mission," Oomori offered nervously. "After all, he's just a normal guy. What happened to Hayate would probably kill him."  
  
Ayane glared over the top of her magazine at Kasumi. "It was *her* fault!"  
  
Kasumi glared back. "Oh yeah, who was the one who brought those eggshell grenades?"  
  
"If you hadn't made me use them!" Ayane showed every sign of getting up and leaping on the offender.  
  
There was a moment of silence. Then both Kasumi and Ayane leapt at each other. Martial Arts were forgotten for the moment as the fight went straight to hair-pulling, wrestling, and slapping.  
  
Oomori sighed. "You know, I can see why the boss wanted them out of his hair for awhile."  
  
Maria watched Ayane bite Kasumi's arm in order to escape a hold, then slap her rival with a rolled up magazine. "Fifty yen that neither of them gets the guy."  
  
The single male ninja in the compartment looked at his companion askance. "C'mon, I don't look dumb enough to take that bet, do I?"  
  
Next door, Sakura was disturbed from her meditation by the thumping on the walls and occasional shriek. The battle auras flaring nearby were strong, but unfocussed. Dismissing this of little consequence, Sakura instead turned her attention to the magazine that her mother had provided. "Cosmopolitan" - dealing with city life no doubt. It would be good to be prepared.  
  
-----------  
  
Azabu Juuban:  
  
Ami looked up as a new teacher walked in.  
  
"Hi, you're probably wondering what happened to your regular teacher," the woman said. "Well, he's undergoing 'sensitivity training' and will be fulfilling the remainder of his contract teaching at Mijimesa Reform School."  
  
Several students made signs of aversion at mention of the Reform School also known as the "School of the Valley Of Death."  
  
"There'll be a new principal soon too." The new teacher shrugged, her tight top making the gesture something that drew the male members of class' attention. "I'm Misato Katsuragi. Pleased ta meet ya!"  
  
There were a few uncertain looks at this.  
  
"Oh hey, you're that genius girl, Ami Mizuno, ain't ya?"  
  
Ami blinked. "Uhm, yes."  
  
Misato winked. "I heard your fiance is gonna be off healing for awhile. Make sure ya take plenty of notes for him!"  
  
"Ha-hai!" Ami nodded, twitching a little bit.  
  
"Hey, who read that article about Mizuno-san's fiance?" Misato asked the class, unsurprised at the number of hands showing.  
  
A boy with a bandaged nose stood up. "I weeally think that the bwoodwines need to be kept puwe."  
  
"Okamoto-san, right? Bucket duty. That way you don't have to participate." Misato jerked her thumb towards the door. "So tell me, Mizuno-san, is it true what they say about Americans?"  
  
"I-I-I- I wouldn't know about that!" Ami blushed furiously, ducking her head and studying her desk.  
  
"Well, that's a darn pity," Misato advised. "You got a new fiance, you ought to take him for a test drive before the marriage, that's my attitude!"  
  
Ami closed her eyes and twitched some more.  
  
--------  
  
Asgard:  
  
"What the heck?" Celeste puzzled at the readings, then began calling up displays with a facility others present could only envy. "What the heck is this?"  
  
"What is it?" Belle was good, but she wasn't even sure what screens Celeste had pulled up.  
  
"Look at this timeline here. Compare the Kinskey and Worbel patterns."   
  
"The whosie whatsit?" Sailor Pocky on the other hand was completely lost.  
  
"I see," Belle said. "They're 95% synchronized to the simulation timeline pattern."  
  
"Huh?" Sailor Pocky again indicated she didn't get it.  
  
"Someone's trying to get this timeline to fall under a merger template with the simulated timeline." Celeste looked it over. "They've done a pretty good job, and it's so subtle that it took me awhile to realize it was being done. It wasn't until I noticed a vibratory pattern in the simulation that I even knew to look for it."  
  
"Sympathetic vibrations with this other timeline? Strange," agreed Amaterasu.   
  
Belle checked a few readings herself. "The timeline being affected is one of those bacteriological war Earths where everyone is dying from worldwide cancers and a rapid mutation virus."  
  
The various goddesses considered the screens.  
  
"Heck," Sailor Pocky announced when it was obvious that no one was going to speak, "it sounds like rule by a bad guy is better than *that*."  
  
"That's probably why he chose it," realized Celeste aloud.  
  
"So what are we going to do about it?" Belle asked, pointing to an indicator that Celeste had brought up. "In one month, their time, the simulation will provide an override template. Just like restoring a timeline from a backup. If we cancel the simulation, we keep a pretty nasty timeline inviolate but it also invalidates the Labor. If we don't, the CancerPlague timeline is rewritten via a wish that 'none of this ever happened' but it is rewritten with a dimension spanning evil wizard in charge of Earth."  
  
There seemed no ready answer for that.  
  
There was a beep on a panel, Celeste's face lit up. "Gotcha!"  
  
--------  
  
Chibi-Jared stood poised on the streets of Norway, twin glowing katanas in his hands as he posed. Behind him the tarrasque slid suddenly apart into its major pieces.  
  
He grinned.  
  
Being an elemental force of primal destruction, the tarrasque didn't view anything as trivial as being whacked apart into its major components anything to be concerned about, and promptly began to regenerate the damage.  
  
That was when Chibi Jared pulled out a small, white and red sphere and threw it toward the monster. The tarrasque might've facefaulted if it's head wasn't already lying flat in that position, at a considerable distance from the rest of its body one might add.  
  
It was a matter of some minutes before the red light on the device stopped blinking.  
  
Whistling, Jared began to leave the scene of carnage with his new pokemon, already planning fun party tricks he could do with his own tarrasque. Added to his Godzilla that would *probably* make him an expert in... whatever field giant reptillian city-stompers belonged to. You know, a few Lernaen pyro-hydras would fit in nicely with this group. Maybe he ought to become a Gym Leader. Hmmm. Big Scale Gym. Hmmm. Big Scale Badge. Hmmm.  
  
A pillar of pink light slammed down, removing another Chibi-Jared from the simulation.  
  
Several major governments began to procure funding for pokeball research.  
  
--------  
  
"You're sure this is a Dark Kingdom plot?" Grey asked of his fiancee. "I'm not sensing anything besides tacky myself."  
  
Ami continued to scan with the Mercury computer. "You're the one who originally detected it. It's hidden pretty well, but I'm getting trace readings." Ami was a little disappointed, though she wouldn't admit it. If a guy was trying to get her like *that* - well, it would have been rather flattering.  
  
Grey shrugged, holding the Chain Of Duty. It was easier to handle this situation if the language barrier was bypassed by speaking Millenial. Not that he wanted to go that far with Ami, at least not yet. They were too young, after all, at least by American standards. There had been this sneaky hope that Ami had actually agreed to this whole love hotel excursion as a way of checking for sexual compatibility. The thought that this shy gentle girl had wanted his bod, well, it would have been extremely comforting. Flattering even. "Just don't go trying to change to Sailor Mercury. We don't know what effect that medusa had, though tools don't seem affected."   
  
Ami continued to scan but the trace remained too vague for anything definitive. "Maybe another room? Maybe one of the others?"  
  
"If it were stronger elsewhere in this building, we'd have been able to detect it. Your computer's scanners and my chain, or my precog, or Rei's fire readings would have pulled up something other than vague shadow flickerings." Nebula frowned and let the arrow-point end dangle. "Maybe its not Dark Kingdom. It could be a haunting or some other supernatural manifestation."  
  
"A haunting? I'm not sure I believe in ghosts." Ami frowned and unscrewed the cap of some jug of unfamiliar fluid in the refrigerator.  
  
"Says a reincarnated ice-blasting sailor suited warrior of love and justice fighting vampiric beings serving some demonic alien presence," pointed out Grey. "Frankly, I wouldn't be *that* surprised if we ended up running into Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy at this rate."  
  
Ami paused, a similar thought occurring to her. No, that was silly. Couldn't happen.  
  
Nebula held the Chain and concentrated. "Still not getting anything."  
  
Ami used the Mercury Computer to analyze the fluid. It smelled like anmitsu to her.  
[MaHuang, Bee Pollen, Epimedium Angelica, Rehmannia, Ginger, Schizandra, Polygonatum, Adenophora, Tremella, Tang Kuei, Reishi, Codonopsis, Eucommium, Lycii Berry, Ligusticum, Peony Root, Fo Ti, Atractylodes, Ophiopogon, Royal Jelly, Euryales Seeds, Poria, Licorice, Mountain Peony Bark, Cormi Fruit, Rose Hips, Prince Ginseng, Scrophularia, Alisma, Astragalus, Fennel, Buplerium, Cypera, Aconite, Polygala, Red Sage Root, Jujube Seed, Lotus Seed, Tien Chi Ginseng, Ligus Ticum, Psoralea, Dodder Seed, and Cisthanches in a solution containing 24% pure grain alcohol as a preservative, distilled water and Lecithen as an emulsifier.]  
  
The taste didn't tell her anything either. Ami licked her lips. It seemed to be quite tasty whatever it was. "Shard-san, do you have any idea what this drink is?"  
  
"You ought not to drink that, Ami-chan. They'll charge heavily, I'm sure." Grey continued to watch the dangling chain. "Does it list 'ginseng' on it?"  
  
Ami looked. "Yes. Several times in fact."  
  
"Then it's either an energy or stamina drink," responded Grey. "My mother used to do homeopathic remedies. Ginseng supposedly works by helping the blood carry oxygen. Hot ginseng tea seemed to help whenever i had asthma problems, so that much i know."  
  
"Oh," said Ami. She hadn't noticed before but her fiance had a nice taut waist. His butt was kind of firmly muscular too. He was actually kind of sexy like that. Feeling kind of warm, she naturally tried a little more of the cold drink.  
  
Ami looked at Grey with bright eyes. "Very. nice."  
  
Grey was finally rewarded. "Ah hah. The Chain's moving. There's some danger."  
  
Ami's mind, as previously noted, was dominated by Reason. Hormones, usually a repressed aspect of her being, had just slipped the leash and were in open rebellion. Territory was being lost by the rational forces, as a 16 year old girl who usually denied she even had those interests was confronted with the accumulated force of that libido and darn few of the normal inhibitions.  
  
"Hmmmm," hmmmed Ami, her eyes roaming. ~Well, he's my fiance, we're in a love hotel, and I've got that 'family planning kit', so why not?~  
  
"Dang, it's just making little looping motions," said Grey, focussed entirely on the Chain.  
  
"Really," said Ami in an usually husky voice. "Do tell." ~He's actually kind of cute and exotic, his eyes have that greenish-brown color that seems to change with the lighting. All those bandages give him a vulnerable look. Verrry sexy. Oh dear did I think that?!~  
  
"Yeah, i'm not picking anything much up. Dark energies or danger. What about you?"  
  
Within Ami, Restraint had tried to rally, getting some badly needed reinforcements from Responsibility. Reason had retreated to lick its wounds. With a warcry, Hormones began beating up the remainder of the reserves while General Lust directed the attack. "I think I know just what needs to be picked up..."  
  
"Well, go ahead. i'm certainly not getting anywhere." Grey sighed, dejected.  
  
Ami was ready to pounce.  
  
There was a knock on the door.  
  
=========  
  
i've been hearing a lot about the relationships that develop in the latter part of the series, particularly in the manga. Apparently Minako states she "has no use for boys" while Ami and Makoto confess their deep felt love prior to being killed by Galaxia, etcetera. i've even heard one statement that indicates that Usagi ends up with the Senshi as her harem, Mamoru mainly being there as a father for Chibiusa. Certainly i haven't seen anything to completely contradict it, but i also don't really feel comfortable with that sort of ending.  
  
Oh, and the song Godzilla is by Blue Oyster Cult. Check it out on Napster or some similar site.  
  
and now...  
  
OMAKE OMAKE OMAKE OMAKE  
  
Usagi: (spins her rod around.) "Moon Crystal Heart..." (spin, flip, BONK!) "oopsie."  
  
Rei: (walking onto the scene, the moon rod sticking out of her mouth.) "MMMMMfff!"  
  
Ami: (shaking her head and throwing up her hands): "Oy vey! Not again! How many times-a we gonna do this scene! I'm-a gonna be in my trailer."  
  
Director: (offcamera) "Cut. Save it!"  
  
coming soon to a fanfic near you. The Sailor Moon Blooper Reel. Maybe.  
  
========  
  



	10. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 10,Rewrite

Chapter 10 4th Labor, Rewrite  
  
A Soldier's Duty  
  
"Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it." -Lily Tomlin  
  
DISCLAIMER: Bless this mess.  
  
-------  
  
Two ninjas (Maria & Oomori) seperated from the other two in order to a) have some peace & quiet, b) arrange for lodgings and contact the local branch, c) keep their sanity.  
  
Two other ninja (Ayane & Kasumi) grumbled at each other but headed toward the Hikawa Shrine with a vague semblence to being civilized.  
  
Ayane was the first to notice the girl in the pink dress, an obvious hick from the country, gawking at some of the machines and puzzling over some of the kiosks and displays that were fairly common in the city. She noticed the girl, noticed that she was carrying a bundle that could only be a daisho - or the long and short swords of the samurai.  
  
The albino kunoichi (female ninja) sneered a bit at that. A hick from the sticks, and with sticks. Or weapons, but a samurai fought by rules and conventions that made them targets. Fine in a challenge match, and able to do frontline fighting, but of no practical value. She was also fairly flatchested and no match for Ayane's own exotic beauty, at least in Ayane's opinion, and so she studied the girl briefly to determine if there was a way she could use this other.  
  
Kasumi frowned, traced her rival's attention, and noticed the girl. Then backtracked her memories. Yes, the girl had been seen moving past their compartment on the first train. Then the transfer. Now here and... she was consulting a newspaper in her hand for directions. Great, another rival in an already crowded playing field. The girl looked too delicate for a fighter, and considering Ayane's reputation, maybe it would be necessary that Kasumi would have to protect her from some tragic circumstance.  
  
Sakura noticed that two girls were staring at her and suppressed a shiver. She'd heard about such girls before. Guys were so smelly and clumsy, at least at this age, that there were girls who preferred other girls. And they were following her! This, of course, meant that these two were stalking her, preparing to corner her and do all sorts of perverted things to her tender young body. Well, if they tried, they would find that Sakura Shinguichi was NOT like that and was well able to defend herself!  
  
-------  
  
"EEEP!"  
  
Hotaru frowned at her sempai's voice, hand still raised from knocking. This did *not* sound good. No doubt the evil forces that had destroyed her papa were now after her sempai!  
  
The door was locked! How was she going to get through?  
  
"-What are you doing? Hey!-"  
  
Hotaru's eyes teared up. Her sempai was getting eaten by a monster while that weird pervert girl was watching! *She* should have been the one in there.  
  
Setsuna was considering a quick change to Sailor Pluto and then a "Dead Scream" to get past the lock. Not that she was jealous of course, being the calm and dignified Senshi of Time.  
  
Nuku, however, merely placed one hand on the door. Then pushed.  
  
The door exploded inwards with a sound similar to a gunshot. There was a lot staring immediately following that action.  
  
"-Ouch! Hey!-"   
  
"Makoto-chan!" Ami exclaimed on hearing a door breaking, the crux of her attention being elsewhere. Something breaking=Makoto. The boy squirming in her grasp was more interesting. Now how to better latch on with him trying to grab her arms and hold her off? " My love!" Ah, just the thing.  
  
Hotaru strode forward like some Valkyrie, the beginnings of a violet aura wisping about her. Her sempai had been thrown onto the bed, and he was trying to fight off that pervert girl!  
  
Setsuna did a Mr. Spock impression and managed to do a fairly good job. "-Fascinating, but highly illogical.-"  
  
"Nuku Nuku want to play too!"  
  
"Oh," Ami said after she realized she had her teeth imbedded in her iinazuke's shoulder. He was holding her arms, and her legs were wrapped about him. The sudden embarassment and horror were enough to throw off the sudden bout of passion. "...oh dear..."  
  
What Ami had said earlier caused Grey to slump from more than wounds. She'd called out Makoto's name. That meant he was such a poor choice for a fiance that she was swearing off guys entirely. Or was it that the two were ALREADY an item?  
  
Ami tried to grapple the girl who was pulling her off her iinazuke, only to grab soft curves and come to an embarassed halt.  
  
Grey saw this and groaned. Obviously, Ami did *not* want him. Whatever had gotten into her was causing her to grab anything that moved. Letting out a deep breath, the boy moved out the shattered door towards the elevator. He needed new bandages, he needed some quiet time to think, and he wanted to get Minako and talk over the events of the day.  
  
Maybe a Japanese girl could make sense out of all this, it was obviously outside *his* understanding.  
  
Unfortunately, he was quickly dragged back to the room where everyone wanted explanations.  
  
--------  
  
Two girls in drab overcoats donated by officers were sitting in a little room in a downtown police station looking at the police captain sitting across from them as he stabbed yet another finger in a steady rap against the counter.  
  
Michiru had never given thought to being arrested and sent to jail for the things she did. She considered it now.  
  
Haruka was having difficulty adjusting to that thought. Especially with her transformation pen sitting in a manila envelope. For some reason, the police had wanted to remove anything even vaguely suspicious from two possible terrorists. "I told you. I don't know!"  
  
The officers had not taken well the fact that neither girl had felt able to describe their secret identities blowing up their apartment in an ill-timed fight with a goddess who had just happened to kidnap the five year old incarnation of a thousand year old mage who had been trying to tell them secrets for leading to their recovery of talismans to be used in the recovery of a magical artifact they'd never seen, and on whose fate the world might rest.  
  
Of course, that thousand-year-old mage had *not* realized that in this simulation, that some of the Talismans and their carriers were different. But that had been a reasonable assumption on his part.  
  
Haruka grumbled under her breath, glad that at least the police kept a warm interview room.  
  
"Look, you can make this easy on all of us, just answer the questions. You don't know why your apartment exploded, you don't why you were in Kyoto, you don't know why you were wandering the streets in your nightclothes, and you don't know why Professor Tomoe's apartment exploded. Is there anything you two *do* know? Miss Ten'ou, you apparently have been known to pilot a helicopter and drive a car despite being sixteen years old without having a responsible adult to supervise. Do you have anything to say about *that?!*"  
  
Haruka squirmed slightly. "Uhm. Well..."  
  
"Captain," a woman said, stepping up to the desk and ignoring the other officers. "I'm here to take charge of the prisoners. This has become a matter of National Security."  
  
"I'll need to see more identification, than..." The captain shook his head briefly after he examined some document that the young women pulled out of her pocket. "Yes, of course. I should have guessed that this would happen. They're all yours, of course."  
  
The other officers looked puzzled, then at the paperwork dangled by the young woman. Then they started nodding. It all made perfect sense now. The military *would* want details on some energy weapon capable of that sort of damage.  
  
Haruka and Michiru were beginning to get nervous when several openly pitying gazes were directed towards them.  
  
--------  
  
Rei looked askance at the stacked wood in the shrine.  
  
"Why not just light it again?" Minako wanted to know.  
  
"Not just any flame will do. It has to be a *sacred* flame. It doesn't have the same significance if Makoto flicks her Bic." Rei considered the area. Usually, when the area was cleaned, the flame was transferred to another receptacle from which it would be relit later. The wood wasn't particularly important, the flame was the thing. "If I trusted our transformation back to Senshi mode, I could try manifesting a flame that way."  
  
"Hmmmm," said Makoto, about to suggest that she try it anyway. Then they could try and get Grey to change her back if it didn't work.  
  
*FWHAM!* This being the sound of a pile of wood covered with what would be very pretty gold and crimson flames under normal circumstances, startled the three shrine maidens (miko) that were present.  
  
Makoto would require a spatula to peel her off the far wall at the moment. She was attempting to become one with it.  
  
Rei had somehow managed to hide behind Minako. Minako was wondering how Rei had managed that, particularly as she had been trying to hide behind Rei.  
  
"REI HINO!"  
  
"Is-is-is it a yoma?!" Minako asked hopefully. A yoma they knew how to handle. If it was the evil wizard who had nearly erased Rei's existence (they were still learning the extent of that - she had run into someone who had insisted her name was 'Bambi') - they would try a new manuever they'd just developed. Oddly enough, it was also known to a few as the Saotome Secret Technique. (Run Away. Either think of a new attack or get allies before coming back.)  
  
While both Minako and Makoto were frequently boy-crazy, neither fancied the idea of meeting guys THAT way. Neither was entirely sure WHAT a table dance was, or could picture Rei/Bambi doing one, though the guy had been pretty darn certain he'd seen Rei/Bambi doing one. They were just quite sure they didn't want to do it themselves.  
  
Eyes opened in the flame and regarded the three briefly. "REI HINO!"  
  
"Can you turn down the volume?" Rei asked, still behind Minako. Minako wasn't happy about this and was considering departing at full speed.  
  
"...if the Mage can interfere, so can I..." muttered the flame. "Rei Hino! Why aren't you pursuing the Knight Of Duty?"  
  
"WHAT?!" This exclamation came from three girls at the same time. Also a female ninja nearby, but everyone ignored her. The samurai girl nearby merely lifted an eyebrow and decided she'd wait before introducing herself and seeing about accomodations.  
  
"Haven't you considered that if 'the child of a frog is a frog' that the child of two high ranked psychics could only benefit your Moon Kingdom?" The fire turned half lidded eyes towards the shrine maiden.  
  
"CHILDREN?!" Rei stood up in front of Minako, forgetting her earlier display of... caution. "Who are YOU to lecture me on... and why would I be after him anyway? He's *Ami's* fiance!"  
  
The image of a woman appeared in the flame, replacing the eyes. "Amaterasu Omikami, or weren't you requesting a sacred flame?"  
  
Rei, uncharacteristically, fainted. Kasumi considered joining her, but as she was hanging by her knees from a tree branch decided to not risk it. Sakura merely pursed her lips and sat down. It sounded like this would take awhile.  
  
"Oh fuss and bother," said the sacred flame. She had considered making Rei an avatar, but this sort of thing made her wonder if she shouldn't be favoring the samurai girl instead.  
  
Minako quailed a bit, but held her ground. "If Ami dumps him, then the next person in line is *me*!"  
  
The woman's image shrugged, an arm of flame reached out, pulled Rei up, then slapped her awake. "Each of the Senshi, and the other fiancees, could benefit from a relationship with the Knight. Not to mention *his* heart could finally heal. As for what could be, behold."  
  
Rei looked into the fire, and saw an image of a slightly older Rei Hino, hoisting a younger version of herself up, while a smiling version of Ami's fiance stood protectively nearby.  
  
Minako looked into the fire and saw a much younger version of herself, sitting next to someone who looked remarkably like Shard-san, while that looked like *herself* was playing volleyball?  
  
Makoto looked at herself in a kitchen, a younger version of herself in an apron next to her, and Ami's fiance pulling that other older version of herself into an embrace. But she was still taller than he was?! How strange!  
  
Sakura saw herself, with a younger version of herself, leading the child through the most basic sword kata of her school. Her husband nearby, smiling and getting pictures.  
  
Kasumi saw herself, in what was obviously America, in a red sportscar, her hair flying in the breeze. There was a carefree, happy, content, expression on her future self's face.  
  
Ayane, sneaking around, caught a vision of herself - practically purring and relaxed. She frowned a little at the sight, how could she let her guard down like that? And... Ayane's eyes bugged as she saw her future self reach down and rub the noticeable bulge of her tummy. Obviously she'd *really* failed to keep the boy at a distance. And that vapid, dreamy, happy expression. How could she... she couldn't be *that* content with the situation, could she?  
  
The images faded. "Look. I'm leaving now. Just consider the possibility, will you?"  
  
The presence faded. The fire continued, but seemed to settle down into a normal fire.  
  
Three sometimes Senshi blinked. Blinked again. Then went off seperately to think. Fainting was considered, however.  
  
A samurai pondered. Two ninja snuck off to do their own thinking.  
  
Maria and Oomori, observing Kasumi and Ayane being thoughtful, weren't sure if this meant things were about to hit the fan or if there was hope for the future of the two agents.  
  
-----  
  
"Amaterasu!"  
  
"Hey, that Mage meddles all the time. Why can't *I* do so? I've got seniority here, you know!"  
  
------  
  
Jared had always felt that Beethoven's Ode to Joy was one of the best spices for large explosions and the sounds of mass destruction. But lately this song called Everlast had risen to his notice and he just felt he HAD to blow things up to it.  
  
Besides, he still hadn't tried out that Metal Siren in combat.  
  
Engines roaring, the advanced veritech spiraled a corkscrew down into the midst of Invid and began blowing things away. It didn't matter that he'd called up a higher energy signature to be adult form so he could pilot this, when he was in a veritech not even an angry goddess could hit him if she had an angel riding on every beam.  
  
So ace veritech combat pilot Jared Saotome merely added "Pink Beam From Heaven" among his list of things to dodge and got down to the serious business of blowing up the enemy. One of the pink blasts even caught an Invid Shock Trooper, lifting it up into heaven, where it no doubt caused no end of consternation and havoc because the pink beams stopped for a long while after.  
  
(In fact, as it had just been a simulated creature, it had promptly vanished after being pulled out of the simulation.)  
  
Flying among clouds of missiles, Jared spun and twisted so they couldn't target correctly and took out each other, then dove through swarms of the enemy, getting his licks in with the plasma spear while experimenting with his own missiles.  
  
This was a VERY heavily armed combat plane!  
  
Down on the ground the Australian Military Scouts there to observe the aliens were getting their sensors full, as was the news team in another part of the valley. Meanwhile the Metal Siren was slashing and blasting it's way through the enemy as the pilot experimented with slashing with the plasma spear (unsatisfactory, have to upgrade), blasts from the same (VERY nice! Have to compliment the designers, but too slow a rate of fire), energy bursts from his wing cannon (nice, but ought to be auto-linked for greater effect with other weapon systems), missiles were in great supply and quantity (less than a Female Power Armor, but still very considerable and more than any other Earth mecha he'd encountered), but you could NEVER have enough missiles!  
  
As far as he was concerned the protective head shield was a waste of space that could be filled with a valuable weapon system, in this case two, actually. They'd torn out the familiar head lasers to make room for the thing. Those could be replaced (with upgraded range and firepower, of course) and the empty space taken by the head shield could be converted into a long range missile pack.  
  
Never discount the ability to hurt the enemy while he's still a thousand miles away.  
  
The hip auto-cannons would HAVE to go! They had piddly range, less damage, and were an eyesore to his delicate and refined mass-carnage-inflicting-capability tastes. The rapid fire pulse lasers were also a big disappointment. These designers had obviously never considered the need to wring every drop of armament to its maximum effect in the heart of combat. They consistently cheated on range to cut cost in manufacturing, and often put weapons in that had no conceivable use in battle just to fit ordinance regs! Such-And-Such lobbyist had a sponsor with a lot of autocannon ammo to get rid of, so some political bootlicker got kissed up to so he would form a committee to pass a resolution to force a general to give an order including a useless peashooter on a combat platform on which the entire survival of the human race would depend.  
  
Which was why any sensible program included pilots who had the ability to say "This has got to go."  
  
The wing mounted energy cannon were a nice touch, but they were obviously intended to be deployed into the hands as rifles in Battloid configuration. Jared transformed and left them where they were. He wasn't opposed to the idea of rifle style weaponry, but these wing cannon were nicely articulated and fully able to do all the shooting he desired of them from their present position on the wings, though a slight change in mounting location and he would be able to sling extra missiles there on pylons.  
  
And you could REALLY never have enough missiles.  
  
The missiles ran on empty, having claimed sixty two Invid scouts out of sixty four short range road flares. Jared could see they were still using the old compound type in those tubs. No doubt because some manufacturer had invested heavily in production facilities for the old material and it couldn't go to waste, therefore he underbid all the production quotas of the guys pressing better explosive power and sold the procurement committees on cost and quantity, cutting the competition out of the picture entirely so the new production warheads never got to see any fighting at all.  
  
Anyone relying on politicians to save the human race would be sorely disappointed.  
  
A final blast with his left wing cannon and ace pilot Saotome checked in a brief moment to see why the right wing cannon was disabled. he hadn't taken a hit in this fight yet.  
  
"Out of Ammo!" But it was an ENERGY weapon for crying out loud! He dodged a double-bore shot from an Invid Command Unit and checked his systems. Okay, it was an internal energy storage capacitor system, so how long would it take the thing to recharge from the internal energy reactor?  
  
Never?!!?!? Oh, *great!* Some designer had deliberately bastardized the system to run off an energy clip arrangement when the thing was not ten feet away from a nuclear reactor with protoculture assist! There were even shielded energy conduits running within a foot of the weapon!  
  
Great. Some industrial tycoon was no doubt wringing his hands in joy over all the energy clips pilots would discard, recharging their weapons in combat, and that would have to be replaced from his factories.  
  
Somehow Nabiki came to mind, but he doubted it was her. For one thing she had a stronger sense of survival than most and when Jared checked stored there were no spare energy clips listed as carried on this plane. Nabiki might be stupid and cash-grubbing, but you could hardly pay her to stick a gun to her own head, and a system this short-sighted would get people killed.  
  
Missiles gone, beam cannon empty, plasma spear had a miserable rate of fire and couldn't be employed to any satisfaction as a melee weapon. Jared employed a burst from the hip auto cannon to blow away an armored scout and felt ashamed of himself for stooping so low. But the way they'd designed this cut corners on all the primary weapon systems, until here he was shooting down his enemy with a useless peashooter! There were some serious design priorities out of order here!  
  
Checking stored as he used his fist to pulverize the faceplate of a shock trooper and squish the pilot between his fingers on the other side before withdrawing his hand, Jared noticed that these autocannon had vast stores of ammo coiled up in otherwise valuable space, on the order of ten thousand rounds.  
  
Yep, somebody had alot of ammunition to sell and a friend in high places.  
  
So what did he have left? The autocannon, and just because he hated them wouldn't mean he wouldn't wring every drop of boom out of them in the middle of a combat. The pulse lasers, which were the closest thing to a solidly designed weapon system on this bird, yet still had many faults. The plasma spear, which was more like a bazooka, as it had heavy punch but slow cycling and no close combat utility to speak of. His hands and feet and that was it.  
  
Who'd designed this thing?!!  
  
Okay, the original VF-1 series had been wimpier, but the technology involved was vastly dissimilar. It was like comparing fighting planes of world war one with those from world war two. To say their armaments were almost the same was a hefty insult to the later fighter, because the technology had improved to where they SHOULDN'T be!  
  
Yet with the old VF-1's lasers, after the missiles and gun had run out, it had an end-of-fight weapon profile that wasn't too far short of this one. Then again, the VF-1 series had been our best attempt to stave off death from a terrible foe, while this new plane was supposed to be the 'pride' of a military that never expected to enter into a fight they might lose, and had corners cut just about everywhere. The design was blocky, it was less nimble that its predecessor (and nimbleness was the very heart and substance of a Robotech military fighting style) and his own personally modified VF-1, the Fire Angel, had more armor protection and a weapon profile that closed on parity.   
  
Oh, the sad, sad things military contractors will do to make a buck! Sadder still was how often military design teams would sit on their duffs pleasing politicians when they didn't think there was a chance of them entering into a fight they might not win.  
  
It was his professional military opinion that this fighter needed some serious overhauling.  
  
The Australian observers noted with awe that the pilot of the strange transforming aircraft went right on punching, slashing and blasting apart his foes even after the autocannon ran out.  
  
Jared barrelrolled and drove the tip of his spear through the nose of the Royal Command Battloid that was leading this struggle, ripping it out sideways and causing damage to his spear even while he tore up the main compartments of his opponent.  
  
Female pilot. Grab, capture. Never know when they or their information might come in handy. While he'd never personally faought Invid before if they were as emotionally repressed as Zentraedi then if you tickled them just right they'd tell you anything. A tap to the forehead knocked her out and he opened his cockpit canopy to slid her limp form into the storage area behind his seat even while he continued to fight his remaining foes.  
  
Three more explosions and he found the hive was now empty of all flying foes, leaving only the ground based Enforcer units, which were still pretty nasty according to the rulebooks he'd read.  
  
Oh, and the Inorganics. Cannot forget them, the evil mage certainly hadn't.  
  
Well, he HAD the measure of this new fighter, and it was lacking but the right refits sounded promising. For one thing he was going to be sure and acquire a Destabilizor style rifle. He didn't object to the ability of the wing cannon to be converted to hand held mode, you might lose a wing and it would be nice not to automatically lose that armament too. But so long as the things worked where they were he had no desire to fill his hands with them, and that left room for a rifle, even the undercarriage mount space was free and uncluttered, so he could easily sling it there when in jet mode.  
  
But aside from that, his fighter was as presently out of armaments as it could get, and showed some battle damage. The ground forces of the hive were bound to be tougher and more numerous, and he had not much to take them on with in this fighter.  
  
Then again, he had other options than this fighter.  
  
He flew out of sight, stored the veritech fighter magically because he didn't have the chi right now to make it weapon-spaceable, and it would require heavy mods before he'd put it there anyway. Then he reverted to chibi form so that Celeste would have a harder time targeting him.  
  
~Hmm, okay, what was the best way to take on the Invid ground forces and destroy the actual hive?~ The chibi mage snapped his fingers. He had just thing! It was even pilotable by a kid!  
  
He raised his hand to the sky, calling on his heavily modified, Washu-refitted Evangelion unit.  
  
"Thunder Knight! Charging up!"  
  
A tremendous roar reminding all of the recent appearance of Godzilla tore from his throat, and he began advancing on the now terrified Invid hive, into the swarms of counterattacking hellcats and inorganic powerhouses.  
  
The hive finally got their power field up, a defense designed to be able to stop the main gun blast of a Zentraedi flagship main gun or a Macross Cannon.  
  
Funny, he wasn't worried.  
  
"Neutralizing enemy AT field!!"  
  
--------  
  
Eudial noticed something unusual and investigated further.  
  
Power. Lots of power.   
  
Her love hotel experiment was proceeding nicely. Her own office was shielded, but every other room in the place had a low level escalating spell to lower inhibitions and increase feelings that fit perfectly in with the function of such a place.  
  
Playing back a recording from a security camera, she discovered the power increase had come from a young girl leading a young boy into the lobby.  
  
Eudial found a relatively clear image and froze it. An American boy, young and looking very self conscious. A Japanese girl, and if the boy was uncertain - the girl qualified as "ready to bolt" but was also the one leading the boy. Except that the boy was a foreigner, she'd seen dozens of couples like this just in the past few days.  
  
The girl quickly proved the dominant of the two. It was she who went to the machine, figured it out, and withdrew a key after making a deposit.  
  
Until she'd started this operation, Eudial had had no idea how common it was for young couples to visit such establishments. She considered comparing notes with Cyprine.  
  
Another pair entered. Two girls. Unusual, but this happened more common than she'd previously thought as well. And then an older woman by herself. "One of *those* groups," said Eudial after coming to a conclusion that made her shudder. Another boy and girl. Quite an age difference on these two...  
  
Eudial switched to a hall camera. The first boy and girl had found their room, entered, and...  
  
The Witch frowned and rewound. For some reason even her typical high schooler or young adult customers seemed to realize when she'd used hidden cameras. So she'd gone with more subtle methods that she'd just finished.  
  
The bed did *not* show any pressure on it. The shower was being run, but there were no variances in the sound of the stream to indicate a body (or bodies) within the flow.  
  
Eudial had been fairly curious to begin with, however she had come to the conclusion that the imaginativeness of the average Japanese male was sorely lacking. It had gotten boring very very quickly. Enter room. Take shower. Frantic but very brief action on the bed. Shower again. Leave. Send the maids in, prepare the room for the next occupants. Repeat as necessary. Dull, dull, dull. The "fantasy rooms" rarely got used.  
  
Which was a pity, as she'd put together the Sailor Moon room together specifically as a trap for the Senshi should they ever arrive. It hadn't even been used yet.   
  
The second boy/girl couple went into another standard room. Similar pattern to the first one.  
  
The two girls and their somewhat older companion stood about in the hallway and were arguing about... who should have accompanied the boy that they were following? Eudial became slightly more interested. She'd only seen a few similar groups. In one case, it had become *much* more interesting once the aphrodisiac in the refrigerator had gotten passed around. They'd apparently rented the room for one hour, stayed for six. This had been before she'd removed the hidden cameras, and Eudial had put *that* tape safely away.  
  
The refrigerator was opened. One of the jugs of refrigerated aphrodisiac was removed, as indicated by the weight gauge under the shelf.  
  
Eudial found herself wishing that she had *not* removed the hidden camera from Room 222.  
  
The aphrodisiac was something the Wizard had provided. All of the Witches had gotten a recipe for something similar, though this particular formula was only shared with Cyprine. The plastic jugs merely indicated that it was free and exclusive to the Moon Princess Love Hotel.  
  
Eudial had gone for subtle throughout. She wasn't looking forward to having the Senshi come roaring in with energy blasts to disrupt things. Especially as continued operation of the place increased her own powers. The Sailor Moon room being an exception, if they got in there... well, she hadn't removed the hidden cameras and it would likely prove very entertaining for many nights thereafter. Removing potential problems + entertainment value. Who could ask for more? Now if they'd just oblige her and investigate that room.  
  
Then the hallway camera showed one of the girls break the door down seconds after weight finally registered on the bed.  
  
Eudial shook her head, unusually high power readings, otherwise she'd have just accepted this as a set of rivals at each others throats and a single boy being the point of contension. There had already been four groups like that in the past few days, almost like it was a recurrent theme within Japanese society or something.  
  
Deciding that the high power readings were a fluke in what was becoming a common event, possibly these were espers or crazed martial artists from Nerima, Eudial turned her attention to other things of greater importance.  
  
Such as how to stay alive and untransformed when she still had not found a sign of those damn Senshi.  
  
---------  
  
The Wizard felt the Invid being decimated and knew that the Mage was still on the loose.  
  
Oh, to be sure, he could just confront the Mage. There was no certainty he'd win, but he could do it. Most likely the Mage's fiancees would get involved. At the very least most of *those* would be eradicated from existence. But at the cost of this very world.  
  
While the Wizard appreciated the irony of a villain such as himself trying to save the world from a hero, he'd prefer a little less even a playing field if it came to an actual confrontation. Okay, he'd prefer the odds in his favor. As opposed to having to go through a lot of fuss and bother just to increase his chance of survival. Yes, he was a villain, thank you very much. In a direct confrontation, he understood he had about as much chance against the Mage as a bottle of sake against a thirsty Urd. He felt that evil should not equal suicidal, and so sought to minimize going against ridiculous odds.  
  
The Wizard considered all the possibilities, and finally did something that he'd wanted to avoid doing. He created a "shadow self" - a simulated him of this Virtual World. Both of him pursed their lips in thought. It was obvious that sooner or later, he'd run out of enemies to distract the Mage with.  
  
That meant he'd have to "up the ante" quite a bit. The Virtual Beast wasn't ready, and it was likely that even THAT would fail to imprison the Mage long enough for the scenario to run.   
  
The two nodded and began working in unison.   
  
The Mage hadn't noticed that *all* of his opponents had been of the female persuasion, save Vader. It was easy and familiar for the Wizard, his years of work in a Spells R Us franchise had it so that he could cast the parameters for the rather simple Bimbo Template without a second thought. Using that common template as a ground, with a few variables for racial phenotype, hair color, eye color, and other similar random tweaks, adding enough competency in mechanical operation to be able to pilot Imperial vehicles, had brought forth sixty Stormtroopers. That they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn was pretty much in character, but something he'd since refined.  
  
Now another gap opened as troops were brought forth. This time, however, the Wizard decided to try something *quite* amusing. Taking a group of human supremicists and make them something the Mage likely couldn't resist. All the troops, of course, were female - two dimensional bimbos outside of their soldier role. This would temporarily drain his resources, but the "waves" kicked up by the Mage made it easier to conceal exactly *what* he had done.  
  
Then his other self could leave the simulation, and plot a way to keep the Mage offline.  
  
--------  
  
As far as Captain Patricia Haggerty was concerned, Battlegroup 39 had been engaged in the war against Tolkeen one moment, and then the enemy had opened a Rift around them.  
  
She brought her Spider-Skull Walker to a halt, opening commlinks to the other battlecraft in her group.   
  
It was obvious that the Rift had deposited them elsewhere. Emperor Wizard had commanded that they engage in a Command/Conquer scenario as part of the campaign against human-led Tolkeen. Being stranded here, there was only one course of action available. They would conquer this world, and make it safe for elves like themselves.  
  
Thirty Juicers, twenty full conversion Borgs, seventy Skelebots, three Coalition IAR-2 Abolisher giant robots, two IAR-3 Skull Smashers, forty two old style SAMAS VTOL powerarmor, five of the new "Super SAMAS" powerarmor, six CTX-50 Heavy Assault Tanks, two CTX-52 Anti-Aircraft Tanks, twenty four Warbird rocket cycles, and eighty nine heavily armed and armored infantry stood ready.   
  
Captain Haggerty swept her hair back, tucking it behind a delicately pointed ear. Their mission was plain - to take control of this world for their Emperor.   
  
She just hoped she had enough troops. The very name of the nearest city (according to that highway road sign) was enough to give her a chill.  
  
[Salt Lake City - 10 miles]  
  
---------  
  
Setsuna looked up again, briefly ignoring the drama around her. "The time stream trembles."  
  
Under many circumstances, the quietly voiced and odd statement would have been ignored.  
  
Grey *seized* on the change of subject, preferring any topic of conversation that did not dwell on his shortcomings as a fiance. (Though in truth the mumbled comments from Ami were denials and apologies, they were just jumbled all together because she was completely confused.) "What do you mean, Meiou-san?"  
  
Setsuna winced at what she felt was an overly formal title. "Something is causing ripples and distortions in the timestream. I can hear the sound of the currents changing. Bringing something..." Setsuna paled. ~No. Not HER! Please, not HER.~  
  
Everyone else saw the normally calm, even smug, Senshi of Time turn pale and reacted. (Except for Ami who was still trying to figure out the odd jumble of feelings on the matter of fiances, fellow Senshi, and whether she could actually get involved in such things with exams coming up.)  
  
The odd seperated intelligence that was the Nebula part of Grey was alarmed. Pluto *never* looked afraid. Not even mildly so. This was enough to alarm the rest of Grey.  
  
Hotaru kept an eye on that girl that seemed to want to hurt her sempai, but also kept an eye out for whatever had scared the old lady.  
  
Nuku wondered if she should ask for her date now. And if she could get her fiance to take her to a seafood restaurant. Where maybe someone would explain exactly what a fiance was, at least better than that Ritsuko-lady had.  
  
Swallowing nervously, Setsuna calmed herself as best as she could. Against Ami - she felt certain she could win. Rei wasn't that interested in guys, Minako would sabotage herself, so would Makoto under normal circumstances. Her main competitor would be Makoto - the seeds of the Silver Millenium relationships providing some emotional familiarity that Mercury lacked. However, all it would take was a cute guy, and Minako and Makoto would be off after the other. Ami might even be interested in Makoto, such things were known to happen among the Senshi. Nuku and the other non-Senshi, an even more distant competition.  
  
If SHE made an appearance, as that familiar feeling attested, Setsuna Meiou would not feel at all confident in her ability to win out.  
  
"Setsuna-san? Puu-chan?" Grey was getting *very* worried at her expression. Was it the Invincible Shadow? The Four Generals? Metal'la? Something even more horrible?  
  
"I've got to go and investigate," Setsuna said, suppressing a little grin that he had just used an affectionate contraction. "I'll be back for our date later."  
  
Grey nodded. Then realized he'd just agreed to go out on a date with Setsuna. But wasn't their current age difference something that would be easily misunderstood by the general public? Except that she'd dumped him all those years ago, so it couldn't be *that*. Could it?  
  
--------  
  
Haruka and Michiru found themselves in handcuffs of some odd design, placed in the back of some armored panel truck, and the doors closed before they really realized what was going on.  
  
"Tea, coffee, cocoa?" An elderly figure that would have been a perfect butler sort if not for his clothing inquired. Said clothing consisting of obviously ballistic armor. "You'll find a newspaper and some magazines in the tray."   
  
"You'd really make our day by letting us go," suggested Haruka.  
  
Michiru picked up the newspaper and managed a certain resigned elegance. "Coffee, sugar and cream."  
  
Haruka glanced at Michiru as she sat demurely and waited for the butler to get her coffee. "You're just going to sit there?"  
  
"What else are we going to..."  
  
Michiru stopped and just stared at something in the paper. Haruka was about to ask what had caught her attention when the "butler" reappeared.  
  
"Here you go, Miss. The trip will take about twenty minutes, depending on traffic." Without another word, the man left. Less than a minute later the truck began moving.  
  
"What did you see?" Haruka asked, trying to act cool and nonchalant, following Michiru's lead.  
  
"There's this *fascinating* article dealing with an American who is engaged to marry several young flowers of Japan." Michiru sipped at the coffee and raised an eyebrow. A hazelnut blend. Her favorite. Obviously they'd read her dossier.  
  
Haruka turned this over and over again, trying to figure out what Michiru was trying to tell her. Then took the article from Michiru. "Gu-rei Sha-ru-do?"  
  
"Look here, his full name. 'Grey Le Shard'. Americans have a 'middle' name, you know." Michiru sipped again at her coffee. "Or, if you prefer Greylle Shard or..."  
  
Haruka's eyes bugged as a connection clicked. "But that kid said..."   
  
"That the Talismans were found within the hearts of Uranus, Neptune, and *another* soldier." Michiru sipped again at her coffee, enjoying the warmth.  
  
"If we don't have the words, three hearts joined as one..." Haruka shuddered. "...but he's a *guy*."  
  
"If nothing else, as fiancees, we'd be able to keep an eye out," Michiru suggested.  
  
---------  
  
She'd been walking along, lost in thought over the voice identifying itself as "Amaterasu Omikami" and the possibility of Rei (Rei?!) being a fiancee-candidate.  
  
"Fortunes, young lady. Love fortunes?"  
  
Minako winced, but bowed politely to the old woman who had set a table up near the stairs to Rei's shrine. "I'm sorry, but I don't have that much money."  
  
"This is for free, child, for I see you have already been touched by Destiny."  
  
Minako blinked. "Well, I..."  
  
"According to this, you were cursed by the Ace Of Hearts," said the woman, holding up a card.  
  
Minako swallowed, remembering Ace/Danburite, and an event when she was "Sailor V". "Cursed?"  
  
The fortuneteller nodded her head. "Cursed - your lovelife will be hopeless for all eternity. So that you may never have to choose between Duty and Love."  
  
The words being almost exactly what Danburite's final words had been caused Minako to flinch. Then came a realization which caused her eyes to widen. Ace had said that this was to keep her from choosing between love or duty. So...  
  
Minako turned on the old fortuneteller. "How can this be defeated?"  
  
"Love and duty are not necessarily incompatible," said the fortuneteller mysteriously.  
  
Minako turned away from the old woman, deep in thought. Then turned back to ask another question.  
  
Except that the fortuneteller and her stall were gone.  
  
Minako Aino, Sailor V, later Sailor Venus, understood something. She'd seen "Ladyhawke" - and curses could only be broken by finding a loophole to attack. If her inability to find someone had been due to this, then she had only one choice. And it fit what the fortuneteller had hinted at.  
  
To break the curse, to finally have a boyfriend, she had to choose love *and* duty. The Knight Of Duty.  
  
Minako took a deep breath. Now she *had* to win.  
  
-------  
  
Sakura considered carefully. Like her ancestral namesake during the time of the "Sakura Wars" she found herself surrounded by strange characters and associating with supernatural entities.   
  
Like that ancestor, she was an expert in that school of swordsmanship. Like that ancestor, she had recently developed a ki attack.   
  
She ignored the presence of the pervert ninja going off on their own, musing over what she had seen.  
  
The bloodline of a samurai was *everything* - normally she would only be allowed to even date a boy of samurai descent or a higher caste ranking. Yet here she was, with a *gaijin* boy who was to be her lifemate. Maybe. Even her mother, who had first brought up the concept, acknowledged that this would be a difficult battle and one she was ill prepared for.  
  
Something Sakura was quite aware of. Several of the girls she'd seen before were (in her certainly unbiased opinion) prettier. Talking to gods wasn't common. Having them reply put a significantly new spin on things.   
  
She hadn't been sure *what* to expect, considering the stories about Azabu Juuban. Even if it was ninety years after her namesake had been instrumental in defeating demonic evil, some things appeared to be eternal.  
  
Okay, pervert ninja girls were new. And her ancestor had never had to fight demonic evil in a short skirt the way that these "Senshi" had to. No steam-powered mecha, and that was a BIG minus in Sakura's book.   
  
Could she help it if she wanted to pilot a giant robot?  
  
On the other hand, there *was* a psychic girl of sorts. Shrine maidens had that kind of reputation. There was the Sailor Senshi, and if Sakura were lucky she could meet them. Professional meeting, after all. Demonhunter to demonhunter. Yeah, that'd work.  
  
-------  
  
Jared dodged, Jared teleported, Jared moved very very quickly. He was very good at all three. Life as an adventuring hero had given him LOTS of practice.  
  
Celeste blocked escape routes, stabbed out in carefully arrayed patterns, lay traps, and used Advanced Trickery to a high extent. She was very good at all of this. Being a System Administrator and "computer guru" had given *her* LOTS of practice. And all those hours of playing UFO Catcher and Crane games hadn't hurt either.  
  
It was much like the game of Tag with Edema. Each of the contestants was thinking three moves ahead and using their skills to the utmost. Where Edema had used Shapechange, Improved Invisibility, Shadowstep, and similar spells, Celeste used the Anything Goes Style Of Programming to her full advantage.  
  
Jared was loving it.  
  
"@$#$&*!"  
  
Celeste, on the other hand, wasn't terribly happy. So much so that she had completely missed Amaterasu giving *her* favorite in the race (Rei) a little nudge. (Well, 'little nudge' was a relative value here.) She *had* noticed that Urd had given the one that she was rooting for (Minako) a quick pep talk in the guise of a mysterious fortuneteller. She also noticed signs of instability in the simulation, and Shan was attempting to adapt her Remote Operation technique to insert herself into the simulated SM world.  
  
Others had been ready to likewise leap in and give hints to their favored contestants.  
  
In order to de-stress, Celeste briefly considered giving *her* favored (Setsuna) a talking to.  
  
"There's only one more to manuever into place, y'all know," said Edema. "The poor gal ain't even on the field yet."   
  
Celeste sighed and decided to briefly use the Mage's presence. And if he showed up at this little get together (she figured he'd know it was a trap, but be unable to *not* come), she'd have him!  
  
---------  
  
Maya Tono, taiko drum virtuoso, and less known - the heir to the Tono School of Taiko Drum Stick Fighting (which had originally been a twin sai style), pondered the odd meeting.  
  
She was young, pretty, and had her share of dreams. However, she'd never actually dated and had spent most of her life surrounded by girls at various all-girl schools. Her skills with her martial art were not *nearly* what her musical skills with the taiko drum were, but she hadn't been able to get a lot of practical experience in the former. No, Maya Tono had no illusions of her level of skill as a warrior, particularly among the current crowd.  
  
The sixteen year old considered the chaos she'd suddenly found herself thrust into and wondered if perhaps her life so far had been entirely too sheltered.  
  
First had been the article in the paper, listing the Tono engagement. Then there was the talk shows.  
  
Maya Tono felt the butterflies battling in her stomach and looked out from the top of torii (red archway/spirit gate) at the lights of Azabu Juuban. She was engaged to this boy from two generations back for a favor his grandfather had done her grandmother. MUCH further back, there had been an honor pledge to guard the boy that had involved her entire clan.  
  
Which, unfortunately, consisted of one individual: herself.  
  
Maya Tono placed strong tapered fingers calloused by long practice of her Art against her firm stomach, hoping to quell those dueling butterflies and tried to get ahold of herself. She could try, she supposed, but *marriage*?! On the other hand, how many boys had she actually interacted with over the past few years. Children's stories and shojo manga to the side, there was no swashbuckler swinging in on his rope to rescue her from pirates. Nor likely to be.  
  
If only she could be sure.  
  
-----------  
  
Phobos and Deimos, though in this life they were crows, remembered other times.  
  
Well, they *could* transform to humanoid shape. Unfortunately they could only maintain it for brief periods and they couldn't change their mass.  
  
They'd been shikigami (Shinto guardian animals) for Rei Hino, and in a previous life had been the Beautiful Twins who had taken the position of handmaidens to Princess Mars.  
  
"So what do you think?" Phobos asked Deimos.  
  
"I think the two ninjas are a disgrace to their calling, the samurai's got some class, and Mina's in the front of the pack right now," Deimos responded. "While Nebula obviously has a crush on Mercury, she keeps pushing him away. Sooner or later, she'll be successful. Pluto is too clumsy in affection, plus she's got to go off and guard the Gate. Even when our Princess is told by a goddess to go after him, she's not inclined to do so."  
  
"Yup, that's how I saw it," agreed Phobos. "It'd take more than divine intervention at this point."  
  
-----------  
  
Grey had watched Pluto sidestep into the currents of time, had watched Ami go rushing off to study, and had wondered if Atsuko (who called herself Nuku Nuku) and Hotaru were as confused as he was.  
  
The odd girl with the batwings was briefly spotted again. The Chain ignored her as a possible threat, so maybe she wasn't one of the bad guys.  
  
Nonetheless, Nuku and Hotaru dropped back. If the girl attacked when she saw Grey was alone, then *wham!* the two would know and respond accordingly.  
  
Grey didn't think it likely. He was pretty sure that the bat-girl had deliberately shown herself on those occasions. She'd even nodded at him once, before melding with the shadows again. Probably would wait until a suitable time before introducing herself and whatever she was trying to do. A hand was empty and out, ready to summon the Chain in a moment if necessary.  
  
Rough hands grabbed Grey and pushed him into a wall. "YOU! YOU TELL WHERE IS RANMA!"  
  
Looking at someone who was clearly not an ally. Grey reacted before Nuku or Hotaru could approach. The Chain filled his hand.  
  
"AIYAA!" The girl shrieked as the Chain looped around and tightened around her.   
  
*CLANG!* Said girl hit the ground a moment later as she was wrapped up. She said a lot of things that sounded very uncomplimentary. Language unknown, though Grey thought it sounded different from Japanese.  
  
Nuku was the first to reach Grey. Only to stand around trying to figure out what to do.  
  
*Crackle* A purple "h" was showing itself on Hotaru's forehead when she finally caught up.  
  
The very upset girl bound in chains continued yelling in some language that none of the three understood.  
  
"What you suppose she want?" Grey asked the two. "She say something but Grey not understand what in 'Ranma' to be."  
  
Hotaru resolved to learn English. It couldn't be more difficult than Japanese was for her sempai. Then she touched the jug of fluid in her carry purse. Maybe she ought to try it out on the odd girl.  
  
Nuku watched as the girl finally decided that she was well and truly caught. "Nuku think that girl very dangerous. Nuku be right back." Nuku picked the girl up, hoisted her overhead as the Chain retracted, then ran off down an alley. She came back out, alone, a moment later.  
  
"You didn't kill her did you?" Hotaru asked, still not sure whether to classify the girl as Threat or Menace.  
  
"Nuku just knock her out. No big deal. We go?"  
  
------  
  
Shampoo slowly came awake, with a massive headache where the strange pink-haired girl had struck her.  
  
She wasn't too sure *what* had just happened. Other than she'd been defeated. He certainly wasn't a handsome guy, and she suspected trickery had been involved that could provide her a loophole, but the law was clear until she could prove otherwise.  
  
Though if she had to give the Kiss Of Marriage to someone, she'd much rather it had been a handsome guy.   
  
Now she had to go hunting down that boy, and from what she'd been able to tell his companions were quite powerful. Pink Girl was strong, very strong. And Pale Girl had a glowing purple mark on her skin combined with glowing purple eyes. Shampoo didn't know much about the outside world, but suspected that this meant Pale Girl was likely someone capable of doing something nasty - maybe a chi attack.  
  
So now she had to go hunting down that girl "Ranma" to kill her, *and* go hunting down that non-asian boy to kiss him. Why did her life have to be so complicated?  
  
----------  
  
"I. AM. A. GUY!"  
  
"Now, son, there's no reason to get so upset," Genma cajoled. "We'll simply get you married off to this boy, then file for divorce, and we'll get half his fortune and then you can marry Akane! It's a perfect plan."  
  
"I ain't gettin' married. Not to no guy, not to no tomboy. Not gunna happen!" Ranma Saotome, being a boy cursed to turn into a girl was *very* unhappy with this turn of events. "And ain't gunna wear *that*! Besides, is this *another* of your perfect plans? Like Jusenkyo?"  
  
"When are you going to stop bringing up these sordid details from the past? Oh, how shameful! My son has no honor! We could even go to China with that money and get a cure!"  
  
Ranma stopped. "A cure?"  
  
Genma sniffled, crocodile tears running down his cheeks. "Yes, that's why I want that money, foolish boy. With that sort of money we might be able to get rid of these curses altogether."  
  
"A cure, huh?" Ranma considered. She (having been splashed with cold water and turned to his cursed form) really really really wanted a cure. But... marriage?! To a GUY?! "No! No way!"  
  
"But son, at least lets go meet the boy. If he's rich, you might be able to just flirt with him a little and we could get enough money to go to China!"   
  
Ranma eyed his father again, but it looked like the old man was sincere. Just a little flirting, huh? "...don't expect much, old man. I ain't going to no great effort on this, and I *still* think it's just another of your lame plans."  
  
"Trust me, son, this'll work out just fine. But we can't let Tendo know. You know how much he goes to extremes."  
  
-------  
  
Nabiki whistled happily. "Hikawa Shrine" was where some of the fiancees were staying, at least according to the newspaper article. She could meet the competition, get the goods on them, research her target... err, prospective husband, and then prove that she was the best choice. After all, he was rich, and someone who knew how to manage money was a good quality to have in a wife. Yup, Nabiki had a clear goal - becoming a multimillionaire and financier. All she had to do was marry a gaijin. Not nearly the problem to her it would be for some others.  
  
"But DAD!"  
  
Nabiki smirked. Akane was arguing with Daddy again. No doubt about her engagement to Ranma. Two days into the engagement and they got along like fire and water. Heh. Let Akane marry the dumb jock. Nabiki would marry money. And if the boy had a brain and wasn't a loudmouthed egoist, maybe they'd even stay married.  
  
"...but I thought this Tendo-Saotome thing was so important..."  
  
Nabiki's eyes narrowed and she quickly moved closer to the wall to listen.  
  
"It IS important. More important than you realize. However, the money this boy has could solve so many of our problems!"  
  
"What about Kasumi or Nabiki?" Akane's voice asked. Nabiki had been wondering that herself.  
  
"The boy is fifteen according to this. Far too young for Kasumi."   
  
Nabiki nodded at that. Kasumi liked mature. If it came down to family duty, no doubt Kasumi would go along with it, but she was too traditional Japanese to be comfortable with a foreigner. Much less one four years younger than her.  
  
"Nabiki lacks your skill in English, and you are *far* more popular with boys."  
  
"...and that's an aspect of my life I could do without," came Akane's dry response. "I. HATE. BOYS!"  
  
"Akane! You only have to marry this boy briefly. Demonstrate your womanly charms. Then divorce him right after the ceremony! That way you'll be free to marry Ranma."  
  
Nabiki frowned. And what was she? Chopped liver?  
  
"What part of 'I hate boys' do you not understand?"  
  
"Please, Akane, think of the money!"  
  
Nabiki went back to her room, knowing how this whole thing was going to turn out. Her Daddy would convince little sister to go along with it, though she'd be angry and resentful of the whole thing, and likely take it out on the gaijin.  
  
She had one chance - and that was to get there ahead of Akane and introduce herself as the Tendo family representitive.  
  
-------  
  
Danburite's curse appears in Vol 3 of "Code Name Sailor V" thanks to Andrew Greaves for pointing this out. As for the idea that the Princesses are not actually princesses, but that the title is more in keeping with the station of Senshi, and that there was no canon evidence of the terraforming of planets... it came a little late as i'd already written a lot of those scenes. And having Rei recognize Nabiki as the reborn Coral was something i'd planned for awhile.  
  
examples of the Japanese misuse of English can be found at:  
http://www.engrish.com/  
  
i've gotten a request to drop the Ranma cast and some of the crossover elements, so most of those will be dropped in Chapter 11. They're all virtual identities anyway, and this is concentrating on the characters who are actually inserted into the VR simulation as opposed to characters developed from Celeste's skill with coding.  



	11. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 11, Rewrite

  
A Soldier's Duty  
4th Labor chapter 11 rewrite  
  
"Of men who have a sense of honor, more come through alive than are slain, but from those who flee comes neither glory nor any help." Homer (~700 BC)  
  
"Even the reverse side has its reverse side." -Japanese proverb  
  
------------  
  
"Would someone please explain what's going on?"  
  
It was the latest in a long string of shocks for a person named Grey L Shard. First, this little bombshell laid on him by a *very* pretty girl with some interesting swords. And a pair of girls who likely could have started a riot at almost any American high school. Dangerous somehow, even more than the girl with the swords. He'd manifested the Chain at the first sight of the albino.   
  
Second, the crowd of people waiting around. People he'd never seen before. Some glanced up at him, some seeming to eye him briefly as if they were weighing him. Particularly when they saw the Chain and that he was limping. They obviously started talking about him. He heard his name mentioned a few times.  
  
Third, someone finally read the newspaper article to him. Though they stopped after the list of fiancees and from the excitement there was something *else* in there they weren't mentioning. How many girls was he expected to marry anyway?! He was still reeling from Ami's rejection and this samurai girl saying that SHE was engaged to him.  
  
Grey Le Shard, American schoolkid, was suddenly confronted with the idea that he had to walk a *very* fine line or he'd destroy someone's family honor.  
  
He had a feeling he was going to screw this up.  
  
When he saw a TV newscrew from a local station, he became certain of this.  
  
-------  
  
Ami got home, flicked the TV on, hoping that something would take her mind off what had just gone on at the love hotel, and tried to settle her feelings so that she could get her mind on her studies. Besides, in a little over a half hour they were having an episode of Skysaber toted as "Bath-house Blues? Secret Of The Spy Soap!" which would be likely to be amusing at least.  
  
TV: "...and since Shard-san is not fluent with Japanese, we have used a translator."  
  
Ami twitched. Shard-san was obviously nervous and self-conscious. So did most of the girls in the background. Except Minako, who was acting as if she were born to be on television.  
  
TV:"This is Tezuka Mizuhara, TV 10! Are you Greylle Shard?"  
  
Grey:"Ah, yes. Sorry, my Japanese is not very good. i've tried to learn but have not had much time."  
  
Ami winced. They'd given Grey-san a scared little boy's voice.  
  
Mizuhara: "So what do you think of your fiancees?"  
  
Grey: "Other than Ami-chan, i didn't know i *had* any fiancees. i know a couple of them, i guess. They'd said something but i wasn't sure i understood. My Japanese isn't very good. Just... This isn't live, is it?"  
  
Mizuhara: "Ah, so Mizuno-san is already your 'Ami-chan' is she? What do you think of her?"  
  
Ami winced again. Grey-san did not have a very good poker face. He went into obvious pain, and was that a tear?  
  
Grey: "Ami-chan? She's beautiful and smart, and she's got this smile... and those eyes. i could spend hours looking in those eyes."  
  
Ami twitched a few times.  
  
Mizuhara: "Beautiful?" A small box with Ami's picture was superimposed on the feed from the camera, the caption giving her status as a high school cram ace/genius girl.  
  
Grey: "Cute, gorgeous, elegant. But she doesn't like me. From something she said, i don't think she likes guys. At least not THAT way."  
  
Girls in background: "WHAT?!"  
  
Ami fell off the chair.  
  
Grey: "It sounds like the reason that her friend Makoto beat me up the first time we met is because the two are lovers."  
  
Ami twitched from her position on the floor, slowly raising her head up to where she could see the screen again.  
  
Makoto's eyes were big as saucers. The camera had gone in for a close up. "...but... we're just friends. Really. Why doesn't anyone believe that?"  
  
Mizuhara: "Ah, so that would be Makoto Kino and Ami Mizuno are *that* way. I see. That does still leave the others. What about... Miss Aino?"  
  
Minako had sidled up to Grey's side. "I think Shard-san is misunderstanding something, but Minako Aino will embrace Duty!" Minako bowed to the camera, then took her fiance's arm.   
  
Ami made a strangled noise, got up and rushed out the door.  
  
-------  
  
The argument had stopped in the Tendo living room as well.  
  
Grey: "Uhm, Aino-san? I really need a little time to get used to this. Are you sure?"  
  
Minako: "Well, he's not cute. But he's nice and that covers a lot. Besides, he needs a fiancee who can speak English until he gets the hang of Japanese."  
  
Other girl: "I object! The Meiou claim is much older."  
  
Grey: "Setsuna? You're serious? You're... young?"  
  
Akane frowned. It sounded like the boy was a pervert, leading a bunch of girls on.  
  
Setsuna: "I call for a contest! A dating contest. Each of the fiancee candidates shall date Grey-chan once. In that way he can make an informed choice as to who will be his fiancee."  
  
Soun heard that and was running for Juuban, Akane flapping behind him from one arm as she was dragged at such high speeds that her feet didn't come close to the ground.  
  
Kasumi, ignored as usual, pursed her lips as she watched the interview. Well, Akane could do worse. Nabiki could marry Ranma. Just as long as they left *her* out of it. Though with that much money, she could really outfit a nice kitchen.  
  
Grey: "Dating contest?!"  
  
Setsuna: "Just a date. Go out for dancing or something. Check for compatibility."  
  
Mizuhara: "According to this you have ties to several families. How do you feel about this?"  
  
Grey: "Overwhelmed."  
  
Minako: "Well, what do you expect, Grey-chan? Life is short, sleep while you can!"  
  
--------  
  
The Wizard turned away from the screen and looked over the Witches 5 and Kaolinite. Though this was only on one television station, and was just a brief part of their newscast, it meant that certain facts could now be brought to light. "The press has discovered that the boy is pivotal, though neither he nor they know why."  
  
"So what should we do? We can't kill him. Heck, the *heroes* seem bound and determined to kill him." Eudial was concerned about this. Besides, it kept people from talking about her failure to catch Senshi. Not that anyone else was more successful.  
  
The Wizard considered. "The Virtual Beast is almost ready. In the meantime... Terurun, Eudial, Cyprine, Mimette, Villuy. One of you will have to join the fiancee group."  
  
"WHAT?!" Five witches were aghast at this sudden development.  
  
"There you will seek to stir things up, lest he decide on one girl. I'll send a few daimon by as well. You'll be an agent, undercover of sorts. Kaolinite is already known to them due to her earlier bungling."  
  
"Not my fault!"  
  
The Wizard gestured and the image television turned off. "There are more important considerations for now."  
  
"Such as..." Eudial was the one speaking, but more than one of the Witches began to sweat.   
  
"Such as why you are all still here when at least one of you, not counting Kaolinite, should be attending this Shrine to see about the boy?"  
  
Several Witches began to particularly sweat. "Uh..."  
  
"I see. So you doubt my power or authority here. You feel that gating in all these other elements has left me weak."   
  
Frantic shaking of heads (Mimette, Terurun, and Eudial) while Cyprine stood and conjured her staff to hand. "No. But now that you mention it..."  
  
The Wizard brought a hand up in a quick gesture. Then tsked and gestured at where Kaolinite held a knife to thrust in his back, having conjured an image of herself earlier in order to get into position. "Well, now. What do we have here?"  
  
Only the eyes of the Witches were able to move, and several of those were bugging in terror.  
  
"Kaolinite. You disappoint me yet again. I shall have to be creative with you." The Wizard considered the older woman briefly. "Nothing personal, but if I fail to make an example of you, however will I maintain discipline?"  
  
Kaolinite glared at the Wizard.  
  
"Your affection for Professor Tomoe no doubt led you to this rash course of action." The Wizard walked around Kaolinite inspecting her. "Perhaps you should be a mannequin on display? Or join the Professor you so admired? Perhaps turn you to a statue of ice and let you slowly melt and drain away? Transform you into a horrifically ugly monster that the Senshi could then destroy? No, too cliche."  
  
Cyprine, aka Puchirol, aka a number of other aliases, began to experience a level of discomfort that she had never felt before. Almost religious in the intensity of her prayer that she be overlooked.  
  
"I'll think about and get back to you." The Wizard said, then inspected the Witches 5. "No offense, Mimette, but you seem to be a bit bipolar. That doesn't work too well with espionage assignments. Eudial - you think you're more clever than you are. Terurun - maybe, though you've a vicious streak that might be hard to suppress. Villuy - if Terurun has a vicious streak then yours is a raging river. You are likewise unsuitable for trying to hide your true colors. So the best choices for my operative in this little event would be either Eudial or Terurun."  
  
Eudial and Terurun began to sweat, but as the Professor was the only one not currently paralyzed, they couldn't protest.  
  
"Eudial's a bit old," said the Wizard thoughtfully, enjoying the slight flinch from the one Witch. "While Terurun is lacking in sex appeal." Terurun *glared* at that one.  
  
Another gesture and Mimette, Villuy, and Kaolinite vanished. Cyprine, Eudial, and Terurun were left. Eudial and Terurun found they could move after a few moments.  
  
"I've sent them on to their power bases, except for Kaolinite who is now in my lab," the Wizard explained. With a gesture, he brought forth a flask of some thin black fluid. "What we have here is the classic Overwhelming Love Potion. This is different from the Erotic Impulsive Sports Drink that you have been given use of, Eudial. It is actually a virus, and therefore contagious, but I have a cure for it. How it acts is deceptively simple and consists of three parts.  
  
"It takes about four minutes for it to work. There is, within the memories and patterns of the human brain, a template marked Ideal Mate. The first thing that this does is erase that template. The brain will then imprint a new template based on whoever is present at that time. Which is why you must be alone when you give the Chain Wielder the potion.  
  
"The second thing is to attack the victim's own self-image. Any comment directed towards the victim from their new ideal will help to reform their new self-image. Reinventing themselves in order to please this new ideal mate. This phase passes after a few minutes.  
  
"The third and final thing is to rearrange the neurons within the brain relating to their new master. They will never lose the giddy happy feeling of their love for the individual in question."  
  
"Ah. We've got to get him to drink all *that*?!" Eudial looked at the flask and guessed there was about 20ml of the fluid. Which looked particularly unappetizing.  
  
"Oh no, not at all." The Wizard smiled. "Five drops, no less, is one dose. More won't cause any harm. Less will just cause a pleasant buzz and feelings of attraction for you if you happen to grab their attention at the right time. You can also get the other fiancees with this, causing them to abandon him and go off on trysts with whoever else has been affected."  
  
Cyprine looked a little nervous, especially as she had *not* disappeared with the others nor restored to movement. And she was about to pass out from not being able to breathe.  
  
"Allow me to demonstrate," said the Wizard, opening Cyprine's mouth and squeezing a squirt of substance within. Then unfreezing the girl so she could breathe and swallow.  
  
Cyprine swallowed as she gasped for air. "Please... I didn't mean to..."  
  
Cyprine vanished.  
  
"Where did you send her?" Eudial was getting even more nervous, and a few minutes ago she would have sworn that wasn't possible.  
  
"To my room. She'll be able to prove her loyalty to me later." The Wizard shrugged. "If I'd known where the Mage was, I might have blanked her memory of this location and sent her there where she could annoy the other side for awhile. Pity."  
  
------  
  
Currently the Mage was doing many things. Though only one of him was in the scenario, still dodging recall attempts by Celeste.  
  
The other two were being watched by Jared's fiancee brigade, who were quite aware of his desire to move back into the simulation. Not that they were inclined to let him, considering that he himself had wanted to keep out of it earlier.  
  
Celeste's reaction had been a little less kind. "One more attempt like that, I'm slapping the Reset and Grey can try playing out this damn Labor in the Pokegirl setting!"  
  
Jared paled. Both of him. "That's the one where... ugh."  
  
Jared #2 agreed with a shudder. "That's a bit extreme, don't you think?"  
  
"Well, it would get him to choose one. And darn rapidly too." Celeste's sense of humor had begun to fray two hours ago. There wasn't much left.  
  
Toltiir had gone off to do something at Mimir's Well, put off by things getting too serious for his tastes. Amaterasu had excused herself after making *her* interference, and Urd was obviously ready to follow Ama's suit if the Mage wasn't ejected soon. Not to mention Elistraee. Or Aphrodite, Freya, etc.  
  
Though the presence of Aiki, goddess of inter-racial liasons (primarily elf+human), was a little concerning. Particularly for Jared. Nobody was sure who *she* was rooting for. Or how many.  
  
If this impasse was still in place when the Elder of Mischief returned, Celeste didn't doubt for a moment that something ridiculous would happen. Such as those asteroids being turned to lemon meringue moments before impact.   
  
Not that that would make an appreciable difference to anyone at an impact point.  
  
Jared should have known better. "You wouldn't really do that, would you?"  
  
Celeste clicked a button. On one of the screens popped up a countdown. [0:30:00]  
  
"Guess she would," said Jared #2.  
  
"Uhm, who all is real in that simulation anyway? They all seemed pretty real while I was in there." Jared #1 asked, curious and anxious to change subjects.  
  
"They're Turing-capable AIs. I spent a long time constructing the scenario, then wrote a program that designed and built the semi-independent AIs based on what data I was able to provide about common SM branch timelines." Celeste didn't look up from hammering buttons as she continued to try and catch the final Chibi Jared. "If you could tell that it was just a semi-independent simulcra, then it would fail the purpose."  
  
"As for who's real, sugah. Four are dark elves rescued in the last Labor durin' that bit with that El Vis fella. Like everyone but that Wizard fella, they only remember their roles for this, as if they had grown up under the circumstances. They're stuck in roles real similar to what they were in their real lives. One's Kumori Mizuno, Ami's mom. Her daughter's in the role of Sakura Shinguchi, that samurai gal. Eudial's a third, not a nice gal to be sure. The fourth is that there little drummer gal: Maya Tono. Morrigan, most of the Senshi, Nuku, Honey, and your own favorite are also real. She's comin' up too." Edema finished weaving a barrier spell around the control room. Then had to step back from it herself as it was a Protection From Elves 10' Radius.  
  
"Most of the Scouts? I mean, Senshi?" Jared #1 looked over the spell critically. Though he hadn't *known* there was a spell like that, he could immediately see that there were those who'd pay big bucks for semi-permanent versions. Dwarves, for example.  
  
Celeste's voice was distracted as she tried rotating a set of recall lights through an elaborate chase pattern. "The only ones not real of that crowd are Uranus and Neptune, Luna and Artemis, Usagi and Mamoru. Oh, and the spare Setsuna."   
  
Jared and Jared looked at each other. "USAGI'S FAKE?!"  
  
"So it's a fake crystal too," mused Jared #1. "How can they possibly stand against an all powerful wizard without her?"  
  
"Sugar, the boy's not all powerful or all knowin'." Edema dropped to knee level so she could talk eye-to-eye with one of the Chibi-Jareds. "If he'd researched Sailor Moon or the attendent timelines very well, he'd likely have taken out Sailor Moon and Sailor Pluto before revealin' hisself. He's also a specialist transmuter, like myself. Ah seen the weave of his magic, and Ah can tell. Y'all know that limits him. He can do summonin' so that means he can't do evocation. Thinkin' it's likely he has a few items stashed that he's gettin' power from as well. He's also constrained by his nature, y'see. Being one of those Spells R Us wizard-types, he's really practiced at turnin' all sorts of fellas into oversexed strumpets, or folks to animals and the like, but not nearly the sort of broad-scale thing he's doin' now. Now when you gunna get yourself using that scroll Ah brought you?"  
  
Both Jared winced before Jared #2 explained. "Well... it'll have to be when all three of us are together again. Splitting into three has likewise divided our skill levels."  
  
"So y'all ought to get busy askin' which of your fiancees is gonna be willin' to part with those Aspects that were originally part of Grey's friends." Edema shook her head. "The spells high level, requires a willin' target too - so any doubt on the part of the gal you're castin' it on will foul it up. It also don't manifest no physical body, so's they gonna have to re-merge with one of them in that simulation."  
  
Jared #1 sighed. "We'd rather fight Invid."  
  
Jared #2 nodded sadly. "And we can still hope for Project Payback if this doesn't work."  
  
Jared #1 clapped his hands. "Okay, let's go to the Well. We've got plans to make."  
  
---------  
  
"Shard-san, I realize you are not Japanese and you are unfamiliar with our customs, but you should not say such things!" Ami was a bit unhappy. Also a bit out of breath from running up the steps.  
  
"i'm sorry," said Grey, feeling kind of funny being the center of so much hostility. Nor did he completely understand the reason for it. However he *was* getting lots of practice with various phrases used to apologize with.  
  
"This is very strange," confessed Luna. That so many of the girls present took a talking cat in stride merely proved how strange it was. Only Tono-san seemed to break off whatever she was doing to stare every time a cat spoke up.  
  
Artemis likewise frowned, though he thought there was something *very* interesting about this Nuku Nuku girl.  
  
Minako noticed Artemis staring again at that Atsuko girl and slapped the cat.  
  
"Uhm, bad time maybe. But oh heck." Grey took a breath and tried again. "-Does everyone speak English to some extent? Besides Rei, Makoto, and Usagi?-"  
  
Nuku looked blank. Honey and Morrigan nodded. Tono-san held finger and thumb close together.   
  
Setsuna was suddenly older and holding her staff. "The Garnet Orb can be used to erect a translation field."  
  
"-Oh good. Uhm, Setsuna-chan, how come you're younger sometimes?-"  
  
"I manipulated the timestream. Normally a version of myself would be born in the future, after my current self died fighting the Death Busters. When the timestream changed, that event was lost. While things were still in flux, I arranged for that future version of myself to be born earlier. Now I'm trading off with myself so that one version of me is fulfilling duty by guarding the Gate Of Time. The other version can spend time with you. Though if you were to come visit the Gate Of Time, both of us could spend time with you..." Setsuna shrugged. If she wasn't entitled, who was?  
  
Everyone looked from Sailor Pluto to Grey and back again.  
  
"Okay, this is seriously weird," summed up Morrigan. "And from *me* that means something."  
  
"-Okay, well, this is probably the wrong time, but Chiba-san has arranged for us to go to a party up at the hill manor.-"  
  
"PARTY!" Several teenage girls were at least momentarily cheered by the prospect.  
  
"-Yes, well, it's primarily attended by international students. And Puu-chan carrying her staff would be a bit much. So if everyone could brush up on their English skills? And not wear swimsuits or school uniforms. It's kind of formal.-" Grey looked over at where Maya Tono was getting Sailor Moon's autograph and smiled. Nice to see everyone getting along. Well, mostly. Rei had had to excuse herself or she would have slapped a few spirit wards on Morrigan. Something about professional instincts. Sailor Moon/Usagi was running around welcoming new friends and allies and gushing about how much fun they'd all have.  
  
Morrigan had looked *distinctly* uncomfortable being hugged by Usagi and getting the dreaded Puppy Dog Eyes Attack.  
  
"How come everyone knows our secret identities?" wailed Luna, who hadn't stopped griping since this quick meeting had been called. And Honey, Nuku, and Morrigan had shown up wearing fake Sailor Fuku. (gold, lavender, and black trim respectively - though normally a seifuku didn't have cleavage like Morrigan's did.)  
  
"I didn't," pointed out Maya. (Who hadn't had a seifuku and so wore her taiko drumming outfit. "oooh! Sailor Pluto-sama, can I get your autograph for my collection? That key-staff thing is *so* neat, do you know any staff based martial arts?"  
  
"It's probably not known below a certain level. One of those 'black bureau' types - they suspect your identities but aren't 100% sure. Or at least weren't until the interview with Sailor Moon." Honey shrugged. "It's their business to know things."  
  
"Eh?" Usagi froze. "I was interviewed?"  
  
Hotaru shrugged when Maya started asking her questions. She had no idea if she was a Senshi or not. She could heal minor wounds though.  
  
"-So, in two nights we've got that party to go to,-" Grey pointed out. "-I think Chiba-san can finagle extra invites so everyone can go. Uhm. Now does someone want to explain this date contest thing to me?-"  
  
"Excuse me, but the reason that Nuku and I wore these was to get the prelimaries over and bring *this* to your attention." Honey held up a small envelope, then handed it to Ami who quickly opened it.  
  
Ami looked at the ticket in her hand, unable to believe it.  
  
"What are ya staring at, Ami?" Usagi asked, concerned at the look in her friend's eyes.  
  
Luna leapt up to a vantage point but couldn't quite read the slip of paper.  
  
Setsuna paled for some odd reason when she saw the ticket.  
  
Morrigan leaned against a wall and waved her own ticket while Ami continued to stare at Honey's. "That's why I wore a Sailor costume myself. So do you see now why I wanted to attend? Though I've had my fill of formal events so maybe not."  
  
"What is it?" Rei demanded, coming out of the kitchen drying her hands, only to see Usagi scarfing a bag of chips and launching into the standard arguments.  
  
Ami interrupted by reading aloud.  
  
"Queen Serenity requests your presence,  
at Juuban Civic Center's main auditorium,  
In a ball to welcome Earth's salvation,  
And unite our forces once again."  
  
She paused to read the fine print.  
  
"Due to the events of the last Queen's Masquerade, this will not be a masquerade. Formal wear required. Bring weapons, just in case." Ami looked up from the ticket. "It's for tomorrow night."  
  
"THE QUEEN!!?" Luna's fur poofed out. "b-b-but..."  
  
Usagi dropped plans to get Rei and Nebula together. Obviously her goal should be getting her Silver Millenium Mommy & Daddy together again.   
  
A sad, hurt, look passed unnoticed over Setsuna's face.  
  
"but... THE QUEEN!! Oh, Serenity..." Luna sobbed something unintelligible.  
  
Morrigan happily waved a booklet. "Are you curious enough to read the program?"  
  
She was mobbed.  
  
Grey merely rolled his eyes, shouldering the pain and relief from Nebula. He suspected that he'd end up working security in this gig. Figured.  
  
--------  
  
There was a thing called Mutual Assured Destruction. Some thought it merely a recent concept that referred to nuclear weapon proliferation, but actually the concept has been around ever since there were two tribes of cave-dwellers that didn't like each other but came to the realization that a fight between them wouldn't leave enough of either tribe to survive.  
  
Some people or peoples knew of the concept, and either didn't care or fooled themselves into thinking it didn't apply to them. They usually ended up wiping themselves out with those very neighbors.  
  
Those who came from fantasy realms with dragons and wizards and elves and magic were often familiar with the concept as well. As well as something attributed to an old wizard named Le Quon Murphy: "The problem with any Doomsday or Ultimate Weapon is that eventually it gets used and proves that it was aptly named." Or the corollary: "The real problem with a Doomsday Weapon is that conquering the nation next door with it leaves you with less resources than when you started."  
  
Which was one of the problems that the Wizard was facing right now. He was facing a mortal enemy, one of the "good guys" (though the Wizard's own standards of good and evil were decidedly different from the Mage's), whose power outstripped his own except for the very narrow specialty of tranmutative cursed items. He could summon something sufficient to destroy the Mage entirely. The Mage had inserted himself into this simulation, and could thus be attacked. The problem was that the Wizard had counted on the Mage honoring an earlier commitment about non-interference and had never actually said that he would *not* interfere.   
  
So, he was stuck with this scenario being:  
a) cut short by a meteor strike just as it stabilized into a real timeline, summoned by the Mage earlier. While the vast majority of characters in this scenario did *not* know about the black meteors streaking towards Earth, a number of psychics, mages, and the like *were* getting feelings of looming doom from the constellation of Sagittarius.  
b) cut short by the Mage running about cutting into his plans, and (likely if the Mage ever figured out where he was and which one was the real him) cutting into certain Wizards as well,  
c) cut short by Celeste, who had just activated a timer that would reboot the whole thing, and there was no telling how things would be reconstructed even if they were. The Wizard frankly did not think his chances were good that he'd know the new scenario better than he knew this one, and he *did* wish that he'd watched more than three episodes of Sailor Moon S (Episodes 90,91,92 - and he'd mainly fast forwarded through them.)  
d) thrown completely out of control by him dropping the various summoned monster, shattering the Eggs Of Daimon, and putting together something very much like the Dragonball Z villain Majin Buu. While this *might* be sufficient to slay the Mage, either the fight or the villain thereafter would likely destroy the world he was trying to rule.   
e) cut short by him just giving up and going after an easier target. Such as finding a Star Wars timeline and supplanting the Emperor. Except that the Mage might follow him or otherwise continue to plague his attempts to have a world he could rule over and then retire to the sort of life other wizards could only envy. He'd already sent the other him out of this simulation, but they could rejoin if he succeeded, so this might not be necessary.  
f) a war of escalation. When this timeline became real, this would be a problem as he didn't have *nearly* the resources of the Mage. Right now, it was just shadow images within a VR construct. Much easier. The problem with that is that it eventually led to the aforementioned Doomsday Weapons and the like.  
g) The Virtual Beast. Something so diabolical that it should bypass the defenses of Mage or Senshi, not killing them, but neutralizing them instead. Problem was that the energy flowing into the Beast's cage wasn't high enough. Within the scenario's elements, the only way he could bring the Beast to fruition quicker was a massive amount of deaths occurring nearby. While not terribly concerning on a personal basis, these things had a tendency to escalate.  
  
The Wizard considered. Then realized that, in his distraction, he'd sent Cyprine to entirely the wrong location.   
  
Oh well, she was no longer his concern. He'd track her down and cure her later. Maybe. But at least he knew exactly what to do about Kaolinite.  
  
---------  
  
Cyprine, one of the Witches 5, who had the ability to seperate into twin halves- Cyprine and Puchirol - was currently not as calm and collected as she'd like to be.   
  
Okay, she had felt as if her identity was dissolving into black fog, and she wasn't an idiot. She'd *heard* exactly what was going on from the description of that potion she'd been forced to drink.  
  
"Ranmaaa! What are you doing lying there when...?! Oh sorry, you're not Ranma."   
  
Cyprine, the ruthless, vicious, mean-tempered, self-styled best Witch of the Witches 5, looked up. Horror giving way to wonder in a moment.  
  
It was the most magnificent figure of a man she'd ever seen. His martial arts gi was old and worn, beaten by the elements. He was slightly chubby, but his little Buddha belly merely provided contrast to the rest of his perfectly tuned body- a Greek god made manifest. He wore a bandana over his obviously pristinely bald clean head, and wore glasses that framed his piggy little eyes in a perfect fashion.  
  
Genma was completely taken by surprise as some girl wrapped herself around him.  
  
As he was repeatedly being smooched, Genma could only protest about his already being married.  
  
Well, that and smirk about him still having the "old Saotome charm."  
  
------  
  
"Plu... Setsuna-san?" Usagi bit her lip at seeing the woman put a deliberately calm face and straightened up.  
  
"Sorry, I'm not used to being around other people," said the older woman, visibly getting herself under control.  
  
Usagi considered for a few moments. "You knew my Momma - Queen Serenity, right?"  
  
"Yes, I served under the original Queen Serenity. Unlike my future self, who will serve under Neo-Queen Serenity." Setsuna frowned ever so slightly. "It was she who decided my training was sufficient for the honor of guarding the Time Gate."  
  
Usagi had a feeling there was a *lot* being left unsaid on that, but wasn't sure what. Maybe Setsuna had an upset stomach? She kept looking as if something hurt her. "Oh well, can you help me get my Silver Millenium Mommy and Daddy together?"  
  
Setsuna was not generally one to facefault. This qualified for such a rare occurance.   
  
"It would be sooooo romantic!" Usagi gushed. "I mean its not as if anyone else wants him. I never would have thought that about Ami and Makoto. My goodness! I hope nobody thinks that about me and Rei-chan. Hahahahaha. Anyway, do you know anyway I can get the Queen and her Consort together again, and... Setsuna-san? Why are you lying on the ground?"  
  
Setsuna stopped twitching in order to focus a particularly upset look in her Princess' direction. "You don't actually have a clue, do you?"  
  
"Eh?" Usagi managed as Setsuna got back up. "Uhm, did I miss something? Setsuna-san, you're going get a headache if you keep beating your head against that wall..."  
  
------  
  
Grey wondered why the Chain seemed to want to point at the sky the moment he started a "Search For Danger" routine. As a result of that and similar problems, he'd had to banish it for now and forego the translation effect.  
  
"And here we have the representitive from clan Tendo, a branch of it, I'm told, but they were the first here." Rei indicated someone very bishonen at first glance.  
  
"Haruka Ten'ou," said the very tomboyish girl. "So you're this 'Greylle' person I've heard so much about."  
  
There was a moment of crushing grip, but then it was less so before Grey could return it properly. "Yes. Sorry. Japanese not goodly. You friend is not other fiancee is she?"  
  
"Michiru Kaioh," introduced the more outwardly feminine of the two with a slight bow. "I am merely here as Haruka's friend." Both Ten'ou and Kaioh smiled at the obvious relief of the American.  
  
"Good, uhm, this is enough mess," said Grey, stumbling over the words. "No offense please."  
  
"We've already started turning people away," Rei said, and then followed in very quick Japanese because she knew the boy couldn't make much out of it. "Not many, thank goodness. Though a lot of people were tuning in to that news report. Since he just became quite wealthy, it seems some have come here attracted simply to that. He doesn't know himself yet, and Ami feels that if he *did* learn about it, he would actually become more paranoid - feeling that he was pursued only for money."  
  
"I can see how that would work," agreed Michiru, "though keeping secrets from him is not conducive to further trust."  
  
Rei switched back to a level of Japanese she felt Shard-san could follow. "And over here is the matriarch of Clan Saotome, who informs us that there is no daughter of her clan for you to marry, so that's another one down."  
  
"Ah, thank you very much, Saotome-san." Grey smiled at the woman. "While sure am i that your daughters would be a treasure, my head over am i."  
  
Nodoka bowed, then went to go admire that Shinguichi girl's katana. Besides, she'd heard some girl claiming to be a Saotome had shown up and she wanted to confront the little money-hungry tramp that sought to drag HER family's name into the ground. Besides, she had an appointment with some girl named Kuonji later regarding her son.  
  
"By keeping it to one member of one family, and those with ties of honor or to this prophesy, we're keeping it from becoming a complete circus," Rei said to Haruka, hoping it was true.   
  
Grey nodded, trying NOT to think about Queen Serenity or what effect HER presence would cause. "Not that many interested. i just young gaijin, yes?"  
  
"So," Haruka said, looking at a nearby board. "That's the competition?"  
  
The board was a chalkboard, scrawled with names. As they were in Japanese, and perfectly legible kanji, it took everyone a moment to realize that Grey was trying to figure them out.  
  
"This mean 'water'?" Grey pointed to the kanji. "And this is the letter 'no' so - Ami? What these numbers mean?"  
  
Rei opened her mouth, trying to figure out how to politely say that it was odds being set by one of the local girls - a Nanami Jinnai who was apparently covering this for her school paper.  
  
"It's a Shinto thing, relating to the religion. As an outsider you wouldn't be expected to understand," smoothly lied Haruka.  
  
"Ah," said Grey. He wasn't sure if he believed the crossdresser, there was something awfully smug about the girl. Not to mention he was getting a danger sense reading off of her and the green haired girl.  
  
"Kisaragi Honey," pointed out Rei to the befuddled fellow. "In Japanese, remember first name given is family name. If we were writing this in English it would be reversed. Aino Minako. Natsume Nuku Nuku Atsuko, Kino Makoto, Tono Maya, Meiou Setsuna, Tendo Haruka. Sorry, Haruka. I'll get them to correct that later. Ukyo Kuonji was of the Katsuragi clan, and she's left - apparently her honor is more personally involved with the son of Saotome. As for the Shinobi clan, we just have the names Ayane and Kasumi. We don't even have a clan name, they're being very secretive."  
  
"How very like ninja," murmurred Michiru.  
  
"They've included a couple of other names here because they insisted, but it's nothing really." Rei shrugged. "Hotaru considers you her sempai, and Morrigan Aenslad - I'm not too sure what to make of her (other than a bonfire)."  
  
"Well, then. What's this about a dating contest?" Haruka smirked again from the way the American scowled at the phrase. That was *one* he obviously had learned.  
  
"Not counting the two nights he's already scheduled something for, each of the fiancees gets one date with him to determine if there's anything even possible between them," Rei explained. "It was something Setsuna-san came up with. No interference from any of the others, and it's otherwise completely left up to the girl in question what they're going to do, as long as its just a date."  
  
"Two scheduled nights?" Michiru raised an eyebrow, elegantly, of course. "The Concert tomorrow, perhaps?"  
  
"Yeah, that's one." Rei had no idea why Shard-san shuddered at the mention of it. "The other is some get together over at the manor."  
  
"Saturday, Edwards' manor," Michiru smoothly put in, nodding. "I should have guessed that as a foreign student here that Shard-san would have been invited."  
  
"Yeah, I... HEY!" Rei yelled at where Nanami was writing extra names up on the board. "I am NOT a fiancee! Get my name off there!"  
  
"Excuse please," Grey said to the two remaining. "Really need find Ami. Think she plenty mad. Sorry."  
  
"Well?" Michiru asked after the boy was out of earshot.  
  
"A date, eh? Well, that would definitely serve to get him alone." Haruka considered. "Though maybe we ought to spy on him when he's out on those other dates, just in case he gets attacked."  
  
"Or he's out with someone weak that could be ignored as a bodyguard?" Michiru considered. "Innocent lives might be endangered."  
  
"You said yourself that the winds surround him. If he's the crux of the danger, then no matter what, he must be taken out. Oh, I meant..."  
  
Michiru smirked at Haruka's unintentional double meaning despite the seriousness of their conversation. "We'll just have to bide our time otherwise."  
  
Unnoticed was the addition of the name "Katsuragi Eudial" to the blackboard.  
  
----------  
  
Eudial, unlike most of the others present, was a bit older than a Japanese student. She'd been a teacher drawn to Mugen High School by its "innovate technical approach to education." Besides, the pay was good.  
  
Then she, like most of the others, had run into Professor Tomoe and been recruited for the Deathbusters.  
  
One of her former students, Mimette, had been drawn to the Professor's plan by virtue of being crazy. Eudial had originally been attracted to the strange combination of magic and technology. Until seeing it, Eudial had discounted magic as ridiculous children's fantasies. People who believed in magic were simply unable to deal with cold harsh reality, that had been her attitude.  
  
Then she, like the others, had been dominated by the Darkness - the seeds of which lay in the vast majority of mortal souls. But for her, the impossible to resist lure had been her own scientific curiosity.  
  
When the SRU Wizard had stepped in, he had cut their ties to Pharoah 90. Each of the Witches 5 had suddenly realized that they had been working towards world destruction - which would likely have included their own demises. He had left the corruption, but that was beginning to fray in a couple of cases. In Mimette's case, she had always been crazy but it hadn't always been a violent sort of crazy. In Eudial's case, she admitted she'd always been a little petty and vicious, and prone to forget the means as she tried to get to the ends.  
  
Eudial had been picking apart the layers of corruption in her own mind, using the power from her love hotel energy tap to further clean out the muck. Not everyone was doing likewise. Villuy and Cyprine were as vain and arrogant as ever. Mimette was still buggier than a wasp nest. Kaolinite still had a mean streak a yard wide and a need to prove she could be the head, uhm, Witch. Terurun - she wasn't sure what was going on with Terurun. No help there.  
  
Eudial watched the group milling about the shrine and wondered at this. Here were people touched by magic, though not by the evil version she was familiar with. There were samurai from ancient times, being interviewed by The History Channel from the look of it. There were young girls everywhere, and if Shard-san was as important as the Wizard indicated then Eudial would not be at all surprised if a couple of the Senshi were also present.  
  
Eudial regarded working for the Wizard as riding the tiger. If he succeeded in conquering the world, would he share that power? Or would she end up like that shrine priestess had almost done? That girl had come within a hairsbreadth of becoming 'Bambi Hino' - a stripper in Roppongi. Only some outside interference had kept her from being altered, and her past backtracked to show that that had always been her fate.  
  
Definitely not a career choice Eudial wanted for herself.  
  
Unfortunately, an outright attack or simply trying to vanish were not going to work. A staged death, maybe. Or if...  
  
Eudial reached into a pocket, touching the flask within. There might be another way to "accidently" remove herself from the Wizard's ranks and have it just appear to be poor luck on *her* part. But first she'd need to remove some of these others, so it looked like she was doing the Wizard's bidding. Who to hit first?  
  
The member of Witches 5 looked over the crowd. Perfect.  
  
---------  
  
It had taken less than fifteen minutes for Grey to decide that avoiding Ami *was* something to put on his schedule. At least until she calmed down.  
  
Ami hadn't been as obvious as that girl in that animated show he'd seen (ie: no suddenly producing a mallet and crushing him flat) but he could tell. Ami had been seriously upset with him.   
  
Staying here: intolerable. Returning to the penthouse: unadvisable. (At least until he figured out *why* she was angry and how to make it up to her. Perhaps she hadn't been ready to make her relationship with Makoto public?)  
  
The Chain could be used for a number of things. Shooting the Star Arrow up to the top of one of those red arch thingies, Grey then retracted it while holding on. Not silent, not fast, certainly not graceful, but effective. He climbed onto the top of the arch, only to find someone else already there.  
  
"Morrigan, isn't it?"  
  
"Yes." The succubus indicated the crowd. "Ah, wonderful isn't it? 'The roar of the greasepaint, the smell of the crowd' as it was once put. The teeming throng of humanity, each convinced that they are uniquely right in their course and method. Most would call me a monster, you know, despite that there are far more horrible monsters lurking in their own minds."  
  
"Not the first time i've heard similar sentiment." Grey sat down on the edge of the arch, able to relax a little now that he didn't have people hovering nearby. There had also been an undercurrent of hostility both directed at him and directed at others around the shrine. "'Individuals can be intelligent, caring, and wise. A mob has none of these qualities.'"  
  
Morrigan nodded. "There are times when I tire of humanity, am ready to return to Makai and forget this mortal existence. Then something new will pop up to interest me."  
  
"Now what about this mess could interest you?"  
  
Morrigan smiled, showing fangs in the process. "Oh, a convulted love triangle involving a 10,000 year old monarchy, perverted wizards, magical princesses facing an enemy who could flatten them like paper dolls if they managed to convince him they were a threat? For starters? Perhaps the Knight Of Duty himself?"  
  
"Yeah right." Though Grey *did* examine Morrigan for a moment, wondering how much to believe. It was hard to take anyone with black wings completely at face value.  
  
Morrigan seemed to sense his unease, and seated herself nearby but not too close. "Look over there on that torii. That's that Maya Tono girl."  
  
"Same thing, you think? Uncomfortable with the attention? She seemed to handle it better earlier." Grey focussed on the dimly seen lump huddled many yards away. Unfortunately, nightvision was not one of his gifts.  
  
"Part of my talents as a succubus is that I'm a natural empath," Morrigan stated. "Not mind reading, but being able to sense something of what others feel. That girl is confused. She's on completely unfamiliar ground, and knows that she's largely out of her depth here. As far as martial arts skills, she's a hobbyist, even though she's the only practitioner of her family's school of martial arts and its only heir. Her true love and devotion is the taiko."  
  
"Ceremonial drums, right?" Grey tried to remember the girl. A fairly cute girl, he thought. Not that *that* was particularly outstanding in this current crowd. "So why are you including yourself as a member of this? From what you've said you're hundreds of years old, powerful, and pretty much used to getting anything you want. You also made a reference to being a Queen. i've had bad experiences with Queens."  
  
"A Queen's first concern is for her kingdom. Before ANY personal consideration, before her own feelings or philosophies, her own likes or preferences, if she is to be an effective Queen, must come the effect on the Kingdom." Morrigan flipped out into midair, hovering effortlessly. "That's why I've never gone back. Endless meetings, court politics, courtesans who are either boring or treacherous, small talk, and the stress."  
  
"Court life in Makai?"  
  
"Ireland. Actually there's damn little difference between the two. Don't ever get into politics if you can help it, Grey-san. If they're not worms, they're snakes, if they're not either - they're nastier than most demons you'll meet." Morrigan gestured around the crowd. "Look at them, these mortals. They gather around because Great Things are happening, so they want to participate and feel great themselves. Except that most would rather watch from home, even if their own lives hang in the balance."  
  
"i dunno," said Grey. "i'm just fifteen. In this life anyway. Nebula was a soldier, a court guard, and then a wandering knight. Sort of. And that was in a society 10,000 years ago. What the average Japanese thinks about all this, i ain't got a clue. Still, you've got to admit this isn't exactly a normal crowd. Right, Phobos? Deimos?"  
  
"You talk to birds?" Morrigan shook her head, then got a better look at the ravens. "What are they?"  
  
"The lucky twins. Phobos and Deimos." Grey put his arm out, letting the two birds land on them. "They were the handmaidens of a stuck-up Princess a lifetime ago. Very earthy and amusing pair, though. Nebula thought he recognized you two, you had dinner with him during that trip through Mars where he was showing Hematite the sites. Being ravens in this life must really suck."  
  
"Beats being pigeons," cawed Phobos.   
  
"It's really not so bad when you get used to it," agreed Deimos.  
  
Grey merely looked at the two.  
  
"Okay," Deimos said, ducking her head. "It sucks. At least we can be near our Princess."  
  
"Who mainly treats you as her pet birds," pointed out Grey. "Even though she knows better by now."  
  
"Hey, look at that!" Phobos rose up, flapping. If she was glad of an excuse to change the subject, well, there it was. "That girl looks *just* like Coral!"  
  
Grey watched the two ravens flee the conversation. It was so hard to accept black winged folk as not dealing in hidden meanings.  
  
---------  
  
Nabiki Tendo sneezed as she turned away from the shrine, and watched two ravens circle overhead briefly before they roosted nearby to watch her. Serious creep factor.  
  
As for the Shrine - they already had a Tendo present, though she was *sure* she'd gotten here before Akane.  
  
Nabiki was so nervous about the ravens that tripped over some passed out girl with purple hair. "Drunk..."  
  
The girl looked up, her eyes seeming to focus. "...airen..."  
  
Nabiki looked disgusted. A Chinese girl passed out, drunk, near the Shrine. What was Tokyo coming to?  
  
"W-w-w-wait, you name is?" The girl got up smoothly. "You is?"  
  
"Nabiki Tendo."  
  
The girl stared at Nabiki as if trying to engrave her image in memory. "...Nabiki Tendo..."  
  
"Yes, and my time is valuable, so don't wapfhg?!" Nabiki found herself sharing lipspace with a *very* curvy young girl. Tired and completely shocked by this, not to mention being crushed by *very* strong arms, Nabiki fainted.  
  
Eudial watched the girl she'd ambushed earlier go running off with the short haired girl, and nodded. The potion worked as advertised. Now she could go deal with the fiancees now that she knew what the effects were like.  
  
--------  
  
The Wizard stood ready. A nonmagical deadman's switch in his hand would set off nuclear landmines if he died, turning Tokyo into a barren crater. Undead from the Evil Dead (pervert skeletons, and therefore within the Wizard's preferred modus operandi) would emerge to slay anything that was left.  
  
Ready to go out with a blaze of glory, the Wizard had his preperations completed.  
  
Somewhere, a Mage finally zagged when he should have zigged and was sucked up in a column of pink light.  
  
However, nobody told the Wizard until another night had passed jumping at shadows.  
  
--------  
  
In Nerima:  
  
Akane fumed, her father and herself had been dismissed at the front door like day old bread. Not that she wanted to marry some foreigner anyway. He was still a *boy*! Though there had been just a little almost infinitesimal hope that this boy would turn out to be less a perverted jerk than the boys at school and less an obnoxious sexchanging idiot like Ranma. How *dare* he dismiss them after a casual glance!  
  
Soun wailed. Now they'd never get that money. How sad! And his middle daughter was being fawned over by some Chinese girl. How scandalous! And Genma had some girl Nabiki's age fawning over HIM! How envious! Errr. How shameful! And Ranma was eyeing the Chinese girl and hiding a lot. How strange!   
  
In Kagoshima:  
  
"THAT'S IT! THAT IS ABSOLUTELY IT!" A pink haired girl yelled at her 'Guide' while bouncing a ball that looked like the head of a cat.  
  
"But, I'm sure that this is the way to Azabu Juuban..." Ryoga stated, staring as the girl somehow magically altered her clothing.  
  
"PINK SUGAR... HEART ATTACK!"  
  
In Roppongi:  
  
"Where is Bambi?! She's missed work for three days now!"  
  
"Aw, c'mon, boss. She didn't have that much 'talent' anyway."  
  
In Azabu Juuban:  
  
Rei sneezed as she got help cleaning up. The reporters had been chased off premises. Things were winding down, and they now had a roster for the dating contest. How it would turn out, that was anyone's guess.  
  
============  
  
In Chapter 12, the last fiancee is introduced. Pluto makes a move. More enemies. More problems. Some resolutions.  
  



	12. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 12, Rewrite

Chapter 12, A Soldier's Duty  
4th Labor  
  
DISCLAIMER: Lots of this stuff by other people. Interpretations and mistakes are entirely the fault of me - Gregg Sharp, aka metroanime.  
  
"It's best not to burst the bubble of an airhead." -Vash the Stampede  
  
---------  
  
For once a day had gone relatively smoothly. Well, sort of.  
  
Grey went back to class with Ami and her friends. His Japanese was still mangled, and he had not even the slightest understanding of most of the kanji used. But he was there and tolerated.  
  
Sakura Shinguchi, the country samurai, was transferred in. She was also, after much fussing and debate, added to the queue of fiancees. (Not that she was interested, of course, it was simply a better position from which to guard him. Any talk of engagement was purely coincidental. That he was the first guy to ever pay her even this little bit of romantic attention was merely a side note. All blushing and fidgeting to the side.) He openly admired her swords and was actually quite attentive when she explained their history and why she had two of them.  
  
The two other new students, Honey Kisaragi and Atsuko Natsume, ended up with chalkboard duty after Atsuko kicked a soccer ball, Honey managed to deflect it, but the ball still managed to go through a window. Three blocks away from the school.  
  
Umino and Naru quickly made friends with Grey. Not that either was of use in a combat situation, but rumor control was another sort of battle they could help with.  
  
Setsuna Meiou returned to her duties as School Nurse, and had to treat forty eight cases of near terminal nosebleed after Morrigan showed up to share lunch with Grey.   
  
Sometime while Morrigan was flirting with Grey during said, Ami's notebook somehow got severely mangled, Minako broke her pencil, a samurai girl stopped herself just short of drawing steel, and Umino got lots of pictures. Oh, and if Setsuna's glare had been any hotter she'd have melted the window between the Nurse's Office and the courtyard.   
  
Eudial, still not knowing what almost all the other fiancees knew, worked at a method of delivery for the Love Poison. And oversaw the Moon Princess Love Hotel. And worried a lot. She also ran a field test of those new "Independence Draining" daimon in a place called Tarozakura. Initial results showed promise.  
  
Haruka Ten'ou and Michiru Kaioh still wondered what the heck had happened between their talk on that truck and finding themselves outside the Shrine. Haruka's sunburn started peeling, and Michiru discovered that her ability to transform into Sailor Neptune was "offline" for the moment. Haruka discovered that she could transform into Sailor Uranus, but not hold it for long without feeling exhausted. Which meant they'd have to further bide their time before attacking.  
  
Maya Tono found herself wondering if maybe she ought to give this engagement thing a try anyway. After all, she'd always given 100% of any endeavor she'd undertaken. Even if the number of guys she'd actually talked with in her life could be counted on the fingers of one hand.  
  
Nobody ever heard from Cyprine, so Mimette changed a sign to read the "Witches 4." She also took over the health spa/hot springs for poor Cyprine.  
  
Cyprine was actually involved in the break up of a marriage between one Genma Saotome (whom she was frequently glomping and trying to manipulate/educate/control) and one Nodoka Saotome (who had found the two of them together doing something quite bizarre with spicy bean paste.) After that, and Cyprine's declaration that she was carrying "Gen-chan's love child" (despite rapid and sincere denials from Genma that anything had happened), Nodoka's son Ranma was pulled by his mother from the Tendo Dojo over many protests and introduced to his fiancee - Ukyo Kuonji. Who had met Nodoka recently and my isn't it strange how these little coincidences work out?  
  
Kaolinite vanished. Nobody asked, and the Wizard wasn't saying.  
  
A weekend training trip was planned by several sometime warriors of love and justice, to coordinate attacks and work on special combined attacks. As well as work out a schedule of teams so that the city could be patrolled but still give plenty of people time for rest and keeping up with schoolwork. Unfortunately, it didn't work out the way it was planned.  
  
Luna found a supply of catnip that Makoto had been planning on making tea with, and was stoned out of her little kitty mind for most of the day.  
  
Artemis found he had his hands full just keeping Luna from trying to fly to the moon.  
  
In other words, a fairly uneventful day.  
  
----------  
  
It was finally the night of the Concert. The girls, and Mamoru, had attended in their best clothes, anxious to meet the Queen. The two cats attending *with* them were not attired, other than Luna wearing a fresh silk ribbon bow in her collar.  
  
The shadows moved and Nebula stood guard on the roof. The Chain lengthened and lengthened again. The Moon Crescent stretched into a spiral shape with the knight at the center. A slight length dangled from one hand, the Star Arrow that would point if danger approached.  
  
This was Duty, after all. Princes and Princesses attended their balls and masquerades and parties. It was part and parcel of their politics and roles. They had to maintain their contacts and alliancies, exchange information and gossip, and otherwise engage in the typical behavior of their class.  
  
He was a common soldier at heart. Though of minor nobility, he had risen through the ranks as a grunt. First Lieutenant Basalt had once been Soldier Basalt. He'd eventually gone through the War College on Mars, required of him in his rise to Pilot and Mechanic.   
  
The Senshi and Nobility had magic. The common troops required weapons that were a bit more grounded in plain old utility. While swords were everywhere - extremely functional and usable in tight corridors as well as having ceremonial value, there were craft and weapons built for fighting at a distance.  
  
While the nobles attended to their political dances and schemes, the life of a common marine was more straightforward. Guard duty was a universal constant. Long periods of boring with periods of intensely dangerous thrown in at random.   
  
As a Level 4 Esper, he got a *lot* of guard duty.  
  
Basalt, aka Nebula, had tested high in Clairsentience. Training had brought the skills to the science that such things were in the Silver Millenium. Danger Sense, Presence Sense, and Object Read had always been there. Also some innate talent for machines - including magical devices to some extent. Training had given him Mind Block and Resist Fatigue. Also chi training, which was similar in some ways to esper training. Connection to the mana base of the Kingdom had given him the ability to heal wounds of others and to erect a barrier.  
  
Becoming the Knight Of Duty had given him the Chain.  
  
The Chain amplified and refined his esper talents, though it also limited them to some extent. He wouldn't be able to block a mind probe from the Princess as long as he was the Knight Of Duty. ANY of the Princesses could penetrate his mind shields with little difficulty.  
  
He was just a grunt, after all.  
  
All of the Knights had their roles, and special skills. With Endymion, his power and skills increased depending on his level of focus. He was also the absolute best at the Knight Moves, telelocating, of any of the various Knights that Nebula knew of. Shade, the Knight of Fear, was the best dirty-infighter. The isolationist Bennu, the most learned mage and Knight Of Reason. Quiet (some would say meek) Onyx - the most powerful of the Knights in terms of raw strength.  
  
Each of the Knights and their abilities reflected their station and duties. Endymion, the noble, who brought Hope - the refined and courtly fellow who rarely showed so much as a smudge on his armor. Shade, a commoner of low birth, brutal and fast when he needed to be, cynical and disrespectful. In many ways the two were opposite ends of the same spectrum. Bennu, the mage who didn't care one whit for the court and its dramas- particularly when so much needed to be researched and understood. Onyx, the gentle giant, the reluctant warrior and a Knight Of Courage that never once sought to brag.  
  
Nebula missed them. Even Bennu with his aloof "it's not my business, and don't stand in the way of my monitoring devices" manners or Shade with his cold grin and harsher manners. Expecially he missed Onyx, who had passed on long before the Kingdom fell, and Hematite - who had been the brash new kid on the block.  
  
Motion caught the corner of his eyes, but the spearpoint didn't budge. Therefore- not an enemy to him or to the Senshi. Looking more fully, he determined that the motion was from human soldiers. Much like himself. Nebula used his free hand to quickly salute, then use a quick set of battlesign gestures to indicate that he was "on guard - no danger present."   
  
One of the figures stopped and gave a battlesign of "acknowledged - remain alert."  
  
Nebula's eyes flicked. These all appeared to be female warriors. He counted seven who quickly finished searching the area, then leaving him alone. Except for the one.   
  
She approached, stopping well clear of the outermost loop of chain. Her hands flickered through a quick inquiry.  
  
"First Lieutenant Basalt, Marines Special Operative. Sometimes known as the Knight Of Duty, Nebula." He spoke in a low voice, using the language of the Moon Kingdom. Without the fancier tongue of the Court, of course. He had been banned from the Court a lifetime ago, not that he'd ever felt comfortable within it. A plain rock among the gemstones.  
  
The woman nodded, then cupped her fist in the palm of the other hand and bowed slightly.  
  
This caused a slight rise of an eyebrow and a bit of curiosity, even as Nebula returned the gesture. It was a greeting/salute that was common among warriors, usually used for those who were on equal ground or rank basis. It was also commonly used prior to a fight, because in the training grounds all were equal. Though common soldiers were more likely to touch fist to their chest over their heart. The cupped fist was more used by elite warriors and mages.  
  
And Knights, of course.  
  
Without a sound, the figure backed away and dropped off the roof.  
  
Dismissing the mystery warrior for the moment, though hoping they'd get a chance to meet later and swap tales, Nebula returned his attention to the job at hand.  
  
The first strains of music had begun in the auditorium below when another presence impinged on his vigil. This one remained in the shadows, watching, until finally the Knight turned his head towards her. "The concert does not please you, Pluto?"  
  
Sailor Pluto stepped from the shadows to approach, gait more uncertain than was usual. The tip of her staff gestured towards his back. "Is this seat taken?"  
  
There was no need for a guard at his back, and she knew it, and he knew that she knew it. So he nodded once and shifted the Chain so that it encircled them both.  
  
There was a moment of companionable silence, as he felt her back press against his own so that each of them could face the darkness with a trusted fellow at their back.  
  
"Why?" Nebula finally asked, breaking the silence.   
  
"It's rather crowded," answered Pluto, "I'm... not used to crowds."  
  
"Ah," said Nebula, though both knew that hadn't been the question.  
  
Pluto decided to answer the rest anyway. "I did write. There was no way to get the letters to you. The Queen commanded that none were to know of the Gate, nor were there to be any visitors." Pluto then muttered something about how neither seemed to work for more than a few millenia anyway.  
  
"Ah," acknowledged Nebula.  
  
"Where did you go, anyway? I only saw glimpses of you afterwards." Pluto was curious herself, she'd been new to her duties at the time and hadn't gotten the hang of observing everything until much later.  
  
"Afterwards, there was Hematite to train and bring up to speed. i introduced him to the other Knights, and showed him those he was to protect." Nebula shook his head. So much promise, and all for naught. "i thought that as important as anything else. To know why you fight. It is one thing to swear fealty to the Throne and the people, another to put faces there."  
  
Pluto made a little sound that might have been agreement as she pressed her back against the Knight's. "A bit chilly tonight."  
  
If Nebula thought that those short skirts *always* looked chilly (he did) or that her Senshi transformation should protect her from those things (it should), he didn't say so. He wasn't sure *what* he was supposed to do, but it didn't seem that a weather forecast was what was required either. So, instead, he tried plodding on. "Also spent a fair time in research. You know i've always been a general purpose repairman, long before i was a Knight or even a Marine."  
  
"Yes," Sailor Pluto said, though whether it was to the night or the Knight wasn't clear. "What did you research? After all, that's more Bennu's bag of tricks than your own."  
  
"If you mean magic like Contact Other Plane, or Clairvoyant spells, or dusty tomes, you're right," Nebula acknowledged. "What i sought were answers to questions that Bennu didn't think worth investigating. After you had apparently abandoned me, and my duty to guard the Nursery had been forbidden, there was only duty to the kingdom to sustain me."  
  
"Did you find answers?" Sailor Pluto partially turned, observing the Knight from the corner of her eye.  
  
"Some." Nebula decided to ask another question. "Pluto? Are you... were you serious?"  
  
Sailor Pluto didn't answer with words at first, merely hugging from behind. "Yes... oh yes. I'd observed you at court, you know. Saw the devotion and caring you showered the Queen with. It was not that you had fallen in love with her, it was just that there was so much love within you that all you needed was someone to devote it to. Loyalty. Devotion. Caring. And the Queen threw it away, not knowing how rare such things can be."  
  
"And then Jupiter."  
  
"Jupiter was ever fickle, as was *her* general. In this life, it seems the karma she sowed then has come back to haunt her." Sailor Pluto sighed. "You're wrong about their tactics, by the way."  
  
"Really?" Nebula blinked, but didn't move from the continuing hug. Actually, he thought to himself, this was rather interesting. Pluto was significantly cooler than the warmth of the Queen, and not nearly so strong as Jupiter. Each hugged in a different manner. Pluto's hug was looser, more gentle.  
  
"When Sailor Moon faced Beryl and her minions, Luna attempted to get them to fight more effectively, to become better warriors. Which would have been a disaster. It wasn't until the 'gloom and doom girls' that they actually faced hunter-killer yoma as opposed to the weaker ones sent to gather energy. The Generals as well, for fighting the Senshi had never been the number one priority. They were schoolgirls relying on their Make Up transformations. Had Beryl considered them a real threat they'd have been wiped out long before the Eternal Silver Millenium Crystal made an appearance."  
  
Nebula considered that. "Was this a deliberate deception, then?"  
  
"Usagi and Princess Serenity are more seperate than you and Grey, Nebula. It is rare, but one sees the Princess rise to the surface briefly and only at great need. When Usagi finally matures in full, the two will at last grow together." Sailor Pluto hung her head against Nebula's shoulder. "On that day, I shall mourn, for some of Usagi Tsukino's innocence will die. And some of the Princess' poise as well. But poise can be relearned, while innocence lost is forever gone."  
  
"You know about the dangers of the Crystal then." Nebula said, a hand coming up to briefly grasp Pluto's hand.  
  
"Some," agreed Pluto. "Enough. Can we not talk of more pleasant topics during our vigil?"  
  
"Well then, O Guardian of Gates Of Time, if a humble Knight may ask."  
  
Sailor Pluto smirked, though it was unseen, and responded in kind. "Aye, Sir Knight. Tis late, mayhap, yet I deem 'twould do no harm. Ask away then."  
  
Nebula looked out at the night, still holding the lady's hand and being held by her. Still surrounded by the quiescent Chain with the other hand holding the dangling Star Arrow. "If we were not on guard duty, i'd ask the Lady if she'd care to dance. As it is..."  
  
Pluto's smile was momentarily near predatory as she heard the reference to a dance. "As it is?"  
  
"What are you planning for our date?"  
  
"Ah, Sir Knight. THAT... is a secret."   
  
"Spoilsport."  
  
The clear bright laughter of Sailor Pluto briefly echoed through the rooftops. Maybe, just maybe, she allowed herself as she snuggled up against her friend. Maybe she didn't have to be the *lonely* Guardian anymore.  
  
--------  
  
Beneath the Knight and a Lady, and quite some dialogue previous, a reunion was taking place. After 10,000 years, the Queen had returned.  
  
Neither Eudial, Haruka, Michiru, nor Morrigan had accompanied them. Grey, being a precog first and a Knight second, had taken a look at Eudial and immediately felt warning signals. The same with the boyish Haruka and her more feminine companion. He'd relayed this to Rei, who had passed the word around. Morrigan, however, declared she'd had her fill of courts and intrigues long ago, and would rather be part of the guard.  
  
Almost everyone else was in attendence. The Senshi had conferred long on this, and it had been decided to show up in their Senshi transformed state. That way, in the inevitable case of the youma attack, they'd be ready. (It was with considerable relief that, other than some stiffness in joints, there seemed to be no ill effects remaining from their previous petrification.)  
  
Maya Tono had found a dark blue evening gown that fit her well, though she was clearly uncomfortable wearing it. Honey Kisaragi had no problems acquiring her own gown, and looked as elegant as was humanly possible. Nuku Nuku (Atsuko) hadn't a thing to wear that qualified as elegant, so had worn a Chinese sleeveless slit dress that she'd procured from a thrift store. Hotaru Tomoe was similar, though hers was a deep purple to Nuku's red and from the same store.  
  
Five men, one woman, stepped forward and took places alongside the empty throne, standing at attention while the music played.  
  
The musicians had played the first set and were about to start the second when they stopped and bowed. Those here to see this also stopped what they were doing, and either bowed or curtseyed. Well, except for Usagi who tried to do both.  
  
The Queen had arrived.  
  
Every Senshi, Knight, Mage, or other functionary had some special quality to set them apart from the rest of humanity even if they had never become Empowered. Endymion, for example, was especially charismatic - a leader if not a ruler. Usagi's basic nature, if you stripped away the clumsy crybaby, had her as a healer by nature if not skill. Nebula was a Class 4 Esper - Sensitive and Precog. Rei was a Class 3 Esper in Precog and had a natural affinity for flame that might have made her a Class 6 Pyro if she hadn't become a Senshi.   
  
Queen Serenity looked physically very similar to Her daughter - Princess Serenity, aka Sailor Moon, alias Usagi Tsukino. There all similarities went out the door. It was Her aura that most struck those looking. Commanding, regal, graceful, that here was someone who defined royalty by Her every breath and movement.  
  
She walked, and the world waited for Her. She sat, raised a hand slightly, and nodded.   
  
"Mama?" Usagi asked, stepping forward.  
  
"Daughter," said the Queen, smiling and inclining Her head, a trace of moisture showing.  
  
"MAMA!" Sailor Moon launched herself. While Ikuko Tsukino was a good mother, this one was the mother of Sailor Moon.   
  
*WHAM!* Queen Serenity winced as Sailor Moon's face impacted an invisible shield. "Slowly, daughter, with dignity. Always remember, We are Royalty."  
  
"So, uhm, you're Queen Serenity." Sailor Jupiter wasn't sure what to say. "I thought you were dead."  
  
Queen Serenity sat back, serene and tranquil. "Like you, We were reborn. The circumstances and method were different, the results similar."  
  
"Uhm, we're the..." Mars was, for once, at a loss as far as what to say.  
  
"The reborn Senshi, including my daughter, Princess Serenity. Prince Endymion." Serenity's eyes swept over the others.  
  
Maya stepped forward, swallowing nervously. "I am Maya Tono, your majesty, and I..."  
  
"You are not of Our Kingdom," Serenity said, obviously dismissing the girl as being of no consequence. "Neither are those two. Why are they in Our presence?"  
  
Maya frowned at the slight, though she quickly recovered.  
  
Honey was less impressed. "Yeah, and you're a monarch of a failed kingdom. I'm a representitive (however reluctant) of a current government."  
  
Serenity's eyes flicked over Honey, then Nuku. "Why are My soldiers associating with mere constructs?"  
  
Honey turned on a heel and started walking towards the door. "Maya-chan, Nuku, let's go. It's obvious the Queen here is stuck in the past."  
  
Queen Serenity looked over Her Senshi and raised an eyebrow at their reactions as the three left. "A commoner and two constructs. Do not waste your time with them, my Senshi. They could not survive the first clash with the sort of enemies you must deal with. Only those of us from the Kingdom have a chance against Our enemies. Now... where is Nebula? We sensed that he was Awakened. We have also sensed Sailors Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. We see them not."  
  
Endymion cleared his throat. He technically wasn't one of the Queen's subjects as the Earth Kingdom had been seperate from the Moon Kingdom. "Nebula has taken up a guard position on the roof, in case of enemy attacks. We have not located Uranus and Neptune."  
  
"Ah," said Serenity, nodding and relaxing somewhat. "Yes, that would fit in with his duties. Though We would prefer he be within Our presence for this. And what of Pluto? She has abandoned her duty at the Time Gate? No, We sense that someone yet remains to guard that Gate."  
  
"Actually, I think Pluto is up on the roof with 'Nebula'," said Makoto, bowing slightly to her monarch and still really uncertain of how to proceed. Fortunately, the Queen didn't immediately interpret the expressions of various individuals.  
  
"She. Is. What?" The room temperature seemed to drop twenty degrees. "Why?"  
  
"Uhm," Makoto started getting more nervous. "Because she wants to start up her relationship with him again?"  
  
The Queen sat back on her throne. "This will not do. Janus. Hermes. Fetch Nebula here right away and remind Pluto that she is neither to leave the Gate nor allow other near it."  
  
A sly looking member of the guards grinned. "And if they resist your orders my lady? They are already disregarding your wishes, if I may point out."  
  
"Bring them both here. You are empowered to use whatever means you feel necessary. They should know well that their duty is to Ourselves, first and foremost."  
  
Various Senshi began to wonder if the Queen returning was a Good Thing after all.  
  
---------  
  
"You realize that Morrigan's two roofs away, watching us?" Nebula said to Pluto.   
  
"Honey, Nuku, and Tono-san left the meeting," Pluto said. "I wonder if the Queen's in one of her moods again."  
  
"Like the time the Senshi threw a fit about the short skirts, and she stuck 'em with that nude transformation sequence... Waitaminute, she never did reverse that, did she?" Nebula blinked as certain things clicked together.   
  
Sailor Pluto frowned out at the night. "That's right."  
  
"And she'd shortened the skirts because... Sailor Uranus had started the whole thing by requesting hers came with pants, then... oh dear." Nebula was momentarily silent. "i never met Sailor Uranus or Neptune. Were any of the rumors true?"  
  
"Some," conceded Sailor Pluto. "Definitely not anything involving the Moon Crystal Rod, a greased pig, and five pounds of bananas."  
  
Nebula let out a breath. "Thank goodness." Actually, he hadn't heard that one, and he didn't want to. The gossip of the Moon Kingdom could be rather Earthy.  
  
"At least that I know of. I don't think they could have gotten the Moon Crystal Rod from Princess Serenity, especially if she knew they were going to do *that* with it."  
  
"..."  
  
"Though the bit about the two of them handcuffing each other to the minnaret on top of the Moon Palace dome, and getting caught there by Queen Serenity - yes. That was one reason they ended up being the *Outer* Senshi and assigned to guarding the solar system from outside attack." Pluto looked up at the sky. "Though, as both Uranus and Neptune frequently complained, that job would be far better accomplished if they'd had a Warkraken Class Ship."  
  
"She never gave them a private teleport? Had to rely on vehicles? No wonder they sent a squad of Marines to the Derelict." Nebula nodded as something clicked. He remembered a *lot* of his previous life, but there were still gaps. "Hmmm. That looked like a Senshi uniform over there. Might be those Outers. Want to go reaquaint yourself?"  
  
Pluto shrugged, their backs touching sending that motion through her old friend. "I'll admit that while I was technically an 'Outer' - my job was considerably different. I didn't exactly get to interact with anyone. Guard the Time Gate - allow no one near."  
  
"Company," said Nebula as forms began appearing. "They don't look like yoma or daimons."  
  
"Well, well, such a touching scene," said a tall, slender, young man. "Pluto, you're failing your duty to guard the Time Gate. Off with you now. Nebula, it's been a long time. The Queen demands your presence."  
  
"There's a guard in place, my younger self," Pluto said crossly.  
  
"IGNEOUS!" Nebula growled. "What the hell are you doing here?"  
  
"Royal Pardon, now I'm the new Head of the Queen's Guards. Soldiers, if you'll deal with these two?" Igneous held out his hand, and a massive mace appeared in it. "You can hurt them. In fact, I insist."  
  
-------------  
  
Jared had finally found the time, the resources, and the assistance. As god of crossovers, this was in his portfolio, but he couldn't do it alone. The spell was *that* difficult.   
  
Mimir's Well, a place where multiple probabilities met and where viewing timelines was so ridiculously easy that first season Usagi Tsukino could have done it. Here, possibilities could be made real, if one had the Will. There were other places it could be cast, but not many.  
  
Bets were up (Fleece giving 3:1 Odds), that if Grey made it to Magical Guardian status, his dragonform would be situated here to keep unauthorized personnel away. Since Toltiir had made his Bet, knowledge of just what was possible had brought in all sorts of visitors. It had just been approved to cut his Labors down from twelve to six, just to have some sort of check on unauthorized use. There was talk about cutting *that* number down as well.  
  
All it had taken to get permission to clear the site for the length of this operation had been a few volunteers to guard Mimir's Well for a mortal day. With Shan as one of the guardians, this had gotten instant approval within the bureaucracy.  
  
Though there *had* been a few surprises. Word from the Sailorjin timeline had finally come - Son Usagi (or Usagi Son as some insisted) had married her childhood sweetheart, Tsue, in a reversed gender version of a more typical Dragonball timeline.   
  
(The word had come from that world's Ami Mercury. Which was something found very interesting by many. A version of Ami who was far weaker than any of the other "Senshi" of that world. In a more typical Dragonball world, she'd have had the role of Bulma. She was accompanied by that world's version of Hotaru, who was pretty much the role equivelant of a fellow named Trunks.)  
  
Still, it was a chance for Jared to cast the Seperation spell and finally start removing Aspects that he'd inadvertantly gotten. The main problem: no physical form would be granted by the spell. So he'd had to find a way of storing an Aspect for those not in the simulation.  
  
Lorelei (the marionette that had accompanied Ginseng) had gotten together with his own Lorelei (the flesh and blood one that was Sailor Terratwo) and the two had come up with a functional soul/personality storage device.  
  
It was, after all, the very thing a Virgin Circuit was made to do. However unknowing the original builders had been of such things as souls.  
  
Soon several ghostly catlike specters were ready to be merged with other Aspects that would be more in keeping with their origins.  
  
In particular, the wraithlike form of one Ameow Mizuno eyed the slumbering body of an Ami Mizuno and awaited her chance to be reunited with her husband.  
  
--------  
  
The fight had been fierce, if short.   
  
Had the Guard tried to be reasonable, or the Queen come herself, there wouldn't even have been a fight.  
  
Five Royal Guards, including Janus, backed by some female soldiers that Nebula didn't know - serious power on that side. Nebula was mainly a sensitive, his abilities were mainly in finding things, and his role had originally been to find and then delay opponents up until the heavy-hitters could arrive. Pluto had her 'dead scream' and some talent with using her staff, plus a lot of experience. Not, unfortunately, in using her attacks. Worse, all their efforts were in self-defense.  
  
Then Morrigan arrived, using her 'Soul Fist' and 'Drill Press' attacks until Hermes joined the fight and used a Forcecage to imprison her. Maya had come from nowhere, determined to try even when she knew she was heavily outgunned. As soon as she'd fallen, Nebula had turned his attention briefly towards getting her to safety. At that point their defenses had crumbled.  
  
Hermes had simply used Forcecage, then Janus used *his* new special attack. Disruption.  
  
The three were disarmed, Morrigan left alone with the holy magic draining her strength, and quickly chained and brought to the ballroom.  
  
Queen Serenity's mouth quirked downward. "Janus, there should be good reason that these look as if they'd been through a war."  
  
"My Queen, my apologies if I overstepped my bounds, but they did refuse your gracious summons." Janus was at his most oily.   
  
There was dark muttering from more than one of the Senshi, and Sailor Moon looked ill. The mutterings stopped as the Queen held up her hand for silence.  
  
"Nebula, why did you refuse Our summons? Does Duty hold sway no more in your heart?" Queen Serenity asked with an expression of sadness briefly crossing her face. "Why must you try me so?"  
  
Nebula looked up. "My Queen. i can do more towards my duty guarding you from above, and it was you yourself who exiled me from your Court."  
  
"We may have been over hasty in that regard," said the Queen, still sad in expression but beginning to show the traces of a smile. "Now is a new Era, and a chance for fresh starts. We think that perhaps your role as Consort should be taken up again. We would grant this boon. Pluto, on the other hand, seems in need of discipline."  
  
"No, My Queen," Nebula struggled up. "Pluto has done no wrong. She has found an earlier version of herself and trades off that duty."  
  
The trace of humor left the Queen's face at this sign of defiance. "Do not forget, Basalt. You are Consort only. Do not seek to influence Our decisions."  
  
"i must, My Queen. There are many duties involved." Nebula paused. "And also must i request not to accept the duties of Consort. There are... others who have a claim upon me."  
  
Serenity was actually shocked, and it showed. Then the sadness increased. "So, Basalt, you abandon me in this time of need?"  
  
"No, My Queen. You are and remain My Queen. And you occupied a special place in my heart for many a year. Yet the times change, and while i was cast from your presence others did try and succeed in touching my heart."   
  
Usagi sobbed. "Waaaah! It's just like in a shojo manga!" Everyone ignored her.  
  
"I see." Serenity said, her expression firming. "Yet Pluto must be punished for this dereliction of duty. If her role as guardian of the Time Gate is too great a burden..."  
  
Everyone watched as the Queen held up a hand, clenched it briefly, and when she spread her fingers again there was something on her palm. The Silver Crystal.  
  
"...then let this burden be lifted." A silver glow shot from the crystal to Sailor Pluto, who quickly transformed back into Setsuna Meiou. "Perhaps you need time from your duties as well, so that you realize to whom your loyalties should lie. When your priorities are once again straight, We may restore you." Another glow and Nebula became Grey. Queen Serenity smiled. It wouldn't take long before he realized his mistake, she was certain. His duties required his transformation to Knight. He'd also realize that she was still tough, in charge, and capable of looking out for her subjects. Then she'd have her Consort back again.  
  
Though for some reason he didn't look very healthy all of a sudden, curling up on himself like that and turning ashen. Maybe it was that he was realizing the significance of his actions?  
  
"I must protest!" Sailor Mercury blinked, then realized that that had been *her* voice. Seeing everyone's attention on her, she continued anyway. "They have done no wrong for you to punish them! They... oh dear."  
  
Having transformed Sailor Mercury back to Ami Mizuno, the Queen looked about. This was certainly more complicated than she'd wanted it to be, but she had to show her strength right off - just to head off complications. It was cruel perhaps, but sometimes a ruler needed to show "Anyone else?"  
  
"Yes, I..." Whatever Setsuna had been about to say was cut off by another brief glow from the Crystal, followed by Setsuna and Grey taking an unscheduled nap.  
  
Maya Tono might have protested, except she was still unconscious. Several Senshi looked decidedly nervous, also thoughtful. Finally, one other could not stand silent any longer.  
  
"You can't just..." Sailor Venus suddenly glowed to become Minako Aino. "Okay, maybe you can. But two rights don't make a left you know!"  
  
"That's 'two wrongs don't make a right'," corrected Sailor Mars, but quietly. She hesitated and glanced at the remaining other Senshi. If they were removed, who'd be left to guard Sailor Moon? Sailor Jupiter looked back, realizing the same thing. Besides, after the Queen calmed down maybe they could get her to give back the others' transformations.  
  
"Next? Good, now We have found this whole ordeal stressing. We shall therefore convene court again in three days. At that time, We shall discuss Our plans for rebuilding the Moon Kingdom."  
  
---------  
  
Grey, as Nebula, had possessed a psychic link to the Chain. Much of his psionic potential and capability had been sacrificed in the forging of that weapon. The Chain had been a part of Nebula's existence, a physical manifestation of his being.  
  
Snapping the link and forcibly dismissing the Chain had affected Nebula even more than Queen Serenity had guessed. She was a ruler, not an engineer. He'd remained conscious, but hadn't been able to raise protest of his own due to the shock. The identity of Nebula crumbled, much in the manner of someone whose body had just been chopped in half would tend to. Then the command to sleep was driven deep into both identities.  
  
Ginzuishou- the holy crystal. A tool of near infinite power that was controlled by emotion as much as will. And it had been used in a moment of jealousy. Disasters have started with less.  
  
No, Nebula aka Basalt was not doing very well.   
  
Setsuna Meiou, the former Sailor Pluto, was also unconscious but doing slightly better.  
  
Her younger self was still at the Gate of Time, and this might be a concern for later. Right now she was just sleeping. She had *finally* stood up to her Queen. She was not the easily intimidated young woman of the Silver Millenium, and she'd protested what she had felt was an unfair action. And actually she felt kind of good about this.  
  
Maya Tono was not, unlike Setsuna, smiling in her sleep. She'd taken a sufficiently heavy blow to her stomach from a really large mace that it registered even in dreamland. Still, she'd acquitted herself better than she'd thought she would have. Not much of a sop on the pain, but it was something.  
  
Neither Ami nor Minako were sleeping, and while they had some problems with being thrown out with the three sleepers into the alley like that by Janus, there wasn't a lot that could be done without their henshin pens working.  
  
"Well, what can we do at this point?" Minako asked Ami.   
  
"I'm not sure," Ami said, looking at the tangle made by the other three. Without a Senshi transformation she wasn't strong enough to carry any of them - including Tono-san.  
  
"Dang," said Minako with a similar assessment.   
  
There was a throat clearing noise. Ami and Minako looked wildly around for a moment, then slowly looked upwards. Morrigan was standing on a wall, completely unconcerned that she was acting as if gravity had been bent at a 90 degree angle.  
  
"You know, looking at that could make you dizzy," Minako said, cocking her head to the side.  
  
"Morrigan-san, can you help with...?" Ami made a little gesture towards the heap.  
  
"And where were you?" Minako asked, shaking her head. She kept feeling like she should be falling or something when she looked at Morrigan standing there.  
  
"I was in a forcecage. It took me a few moments to get past the defenses because this Silver Millenium magic has some elements of holy magic. Which is not among my most favorite things." Morrigan walked down the wall, then stepped over the ground and continued to the group. Selecting the largest of the three (Setsuna), Morrigan slung her over a shoulder. "Well, come on."  
  
There was a brief moment while Ami and Minako attempted to follow suit.  
  
Ami finally came to a sad conclusion. "I'll call mother."  
  
"This never used to happen in the old days," complained Minako.  
  
--------  
  
Heaven:  
  
"So why is the Mage sulking *now*?" Serafita, six-winged archon of CG, looked off at where the Pheonix Mage was running off into the distance, having restarted his game of "tag" with Edema.   
  
"He was rooting for Queen Serenity, particularly after some of the scenes in the first Labor which had the two pretty well reconciled. With everything started out anew, there are no happy memories and the Queen has not accidently abdicated in favor of her heir." Celeste shrugged, not particularly interested. As long as he stayed away from the simulation. "I'm still tempted to do a reset. Just the press coverage is enough. This is supposed to be a Labor for Grey. Also possibly a Labor for the girls in question, but mainly Grey. This Wizard, the Mage, certainly having Imperial Walkers, and the press have all confused the issue."  
  
"Oh," Serafita wasn't really that interested, but saw some interesting designs dancing on the monitors. "So which of these girls do *you* support?"  
  
"Setsuna," Celeste responded. "I've backed *her* since day one. The girl who became the ice queen, manipulative and cold, because she had to turn her back on love. Tragic. About time the woman got a break."   
  
"Oh," said Serafita. He knew that Amaterasu favored Rei, Urd favored Minako, and a number of others had *their* favorites. He just wasn't into the betting aspects. So he got to the real point of his interest. "What are *those*?"  
  
Celeste brought the files she was flipping through into greater detail. "These? The Nebula Aspect was just killed. Due to preset conditions in the simulation, that means that the abilities he'd gained through that Aspect are lost. Memories remain. The Chain is gone, as is the Knight powerup. Even those minor psychic abilities are gone, as those were remnants of his Lunarian heritage. The Queen could resurrect that Aspect, but its not likely to happen. So these are other Aspects that could be substituted."  
  
"Because in the genre, in times of great need or emotional turmoil, the individual can draw on hidden abilities and evolve to meet the threat." Serafita nodded, understanding this. "So these are Grey's other dimensional Aspects that are available?"  
  
Celeste brought up the first image. "The cleric and healer, the silver dragon Frostbite is his prime Aspect." The dragon morphed into a normal looking guy, except the eyes were pure white and he was fighting a bigger guy named Juggernaut. "The superhero from a world of mutants, the living fusion battery Kestral." The boy shifted into a different dragon. "The gold dragon mage Orion." The dragon shifted into a lanky form dressed in a no-frills combat uniform. "B-Wing pilot Artemis Grey."  
  
"He's a girl?" Serafita sounded surprised.  
  
"In a number of faith systems that use reincarnation, the soul is neither male or female in itself - and one can reincarnate as either as time goes on, though most souls show a bias for being either male or female. In his case male dominates, and seems the decided preference - but a few Aspects were female and still managed to stand out from the crowd." Celeste gestured and the tough looking Star Wars Rebel pilot blurred to become a cuter but still tomboyish form. "Noa, trainer of pokemon."   
  
"Using *that* would sincerely concern any of the girls in that timeline. Well, maybe not Rei or Haruka or Michiru, or maybe..." Serafita thought about it for a moment. "No, probably not."  
  
"Agreed. Likewise, the damage control tech on the Yamato Shinosuke Yagake, the marionette repairman Mamoru Tengoku, and the half-angel albino Shinji, are likewise inappro. In any case, observe *this* Aspect." Celeste flipped another image. "The sex angel from the Second Labor. And this one is the catboy Aspect, altered to a form of werecat and manifested by Bast (you know how *she* can be), and the esper version from RI-SW 201351."  
  
"Which will you use?" Serafita asked, looking over the char designs with interest.  
  
"Oh, I'll probably ask for a vote," answered Celeste. "We'll see. Oh, now *that* is interesting."  
  
Serafita read the screens Celeste was flipping through. "What? Someone else interfering in the simulation?"  
  
"Yup, fairly subtle too. Also *not* someone I would have suspected, but that's definitely her touch." Celeste flicked back. "A shared dream from Sif of all people. She's rooting for Ami, wonder what she's trying to pull."  
  
----------  
  
Ami's mother had not been able to get away, with predictable results.   
  
"I know!" Minako exclaimed. "A kiss!"  
  
"A kiss to awaken someone from an enchanted sleep," Morrigan mused. "It *could* work, I suppose."  
  
"Oh dear," exclaimed Ami.  
  
"But that only works if someone who is a True Love kisses them," added Morrigan.  
  
"Excuse me," came a deep rumbling voice.  
  
"Frank? No, just a similar build," assessed Morrigan, looking over the guy in sunglasses and a black suit.  
  
"Your mother, Mizuno-san, indicated you required a ride." The dark clad man gestured. "I have been sent to assist."  
  
When the offered ride turned out to be a limousine, Minako was delighted, Morrigan was suspicious, and Ami was merely exhausted from carrying Tono-san all the way to the parking garage.  
  
Morrigan vanished into the night rather than accept the ride, though Ami had a sneaking suspicion that she was following the car during the entire trip.  
  
At Ami's apartment, Hotaru was still up and able to give a hand while Minako went home by herself.   
  
By the time Ami and Hotaru had carried their charges (requiring three trips) to the spare room, they were exhausted.  
  
Ami was asleep before her head hit the pillow.  
  
Then she began to dream. Oddly enough, the same dream was running through other heads.  
  
----------  
  
The crowd was playing a card game of some sort. The table was a semicircle, with the women along the curve. Ami briefly looked around, recognizing most of the various girls present, including Senshi among their number. Her mother was present, which was really a jarring detail. And that blonde woman was wearing a lab coat and an ID badge from her mother's hospital. And Katsuragi-san, her teacher. And others who were less familiar.  
  
Ami looked down at her hand and restrained a gasp as she quickly examined one after the other. The first card was of HER - wearing her summer yukata and carrying a fan, just as if she were attending a matsuri. The image seemed to have captured her winking at the camera? A carefree happy moment, or so it seemed.  
  
The second card was of herself, posing, but as an older Sailor Mercury. Where the first card had captured a girl simply out enjoying herself, this image was neither happy nor smiling. Sailor Mercury was serious, and even a bit sad somehow. The pose was of her leaning against a pillar, watching something over to the image's right. Ami guessed the age of Mercury in this photo to be in her mid 20s.  
  
The third was of herself wearing a lab coat, stethoscope curled behind her neck. As with Sailor Mercury, this was an older version of herself. The ID badge pinned to the coat read *Dr.* Mizuno. The image was smiling down at a group of children, standing in the white corridors of a hospital, a room number (E-102) visible from where it protruded from the wall behind the Doctor.  
  
The fourth card showed another image of herself, wearing a bridal gown? Where the Doctor had been smiling in mild amusement, the Yukata girl had been smiling and flirty, and Sailor Mercury had been sad, the bride practically *glowed* - mouth open in a smile, tears glimmering in her eyes, flushed as she raised a bridal bouquet up to throw it. Ami could just imagine the mad scramble from her friends beginning offcamera. This one looked older than she was now, but maybe only a few years at most - seventeen or eighteen. Maybe not even that much.  
  
The fifth and last card showed a version of herself, but why did she have cat ears and a tail?! And was that fur? Curled up on herself, sitting in a sunbeam, her head in... Grey-san's lap? Some guy's lap, and it *looked* like Grey-san, even though his face was out of the picture. While he was scratching her behind an ear? Ami could practically hear this odd vision of herself purring.   
  
Ami glanced at the cardplayer to her right, which turned out to be Minako. Five cards in her hands. A look to the right, and Ami wasn't too surprised to see Setsuna who seemed to regard her cards as if she expected one to turn into a venomous snake and bite her. Further down to the left was Tono-san, then her teacher Katsuragi-san? The physician, and some shorthaired nurse, an albino(?), then finally Queen Serenity? Further to the right, Ami could see Morrigan, then Nuku Nuku, then that Eudial woman, some girl in samurai garb(?), a girl with odd markings on her face, and finally Makoto.  
  
Across from them all, sitting in the middle of the flat part of the semicircle, was Grey.  
  
There were several people around, mainly shadowed shapes, but they were all rooting for one person or another.  
  
A redhaired girl with batwings was rooting for Morrigan. Usagi was rooting for Queen Serenity. Rei was rooting for Minako. Ami's mother was, unsurprisingly, rooting for her. And also for that samurai girl?  
  
Grey moved, laying five cards in front of himself where everyone could see.   
  
Ami noted that his cards were similar to her own. There was a depiction of the Knight Nebula and his Chain, but as she watched the colors ran out until it had lost its vibrancy.  
  
Ami had read Freud. She wasn't sure where the cards fit into a sexual theme. Maybe a Jungian perspective? Putting his cards out, all seven... hadn't there been five there earlier?  
  
Ami nodded after a moment. He was laying his cards out on the table - symbolic of openness. He was keeping them close to his edge of the table - they weren't being discarded.   
  
If her cards were odd, *his* cards were even more so. The faded picture of Nebula. A gleaming dragon of silver, with a glowing orb of white energy forming in between his foreclaws. A bright dragon of gold, crouched protectively in front of a relatively small Sailor Mercury?! A flying figure with eyes of pure white, recognizable as Grey-san except that his coloration seemed "off." A catBOY that seemed a match for her own cat card- though he seemed even more feline with fur showing. Another picture where he resembled nothing so much as a boy she knew named Ryo Urawa. The final picture showed a robot or something similar - an armored warrior of some kind.  
  
Ami looked away from his cards, and found herself meeting his eyes. There was concern there, and sadness, and the embers of something else. Like the glowing of a pile of tinder, waiting only for her to breathe upon it and it would become an open flame.  
  
Ami ducked her head and considered her cards again, not sure of how to deal with that sort of intensity. The neko version of herself opened her eyes, *looked* at her, then winked.  
  
Ami put her cards facedown on the table, her head spinning as she tried to analyze *that*! An idle portion of her mind fastened on the observation that nearly all of the others had done the same thing and with the same startled look.  
  
Except Setsuna, who had put all but one of her cards facedown. The last one she held in her hands briefly before putting it in plain view.  
  
"I understand," said Setsuna Meiou, placing the card forward. "These show potential futures. With the timestream in chaos, Crystal Tokyo is no longer the certainty or even the most desirable option. We no longer face a future where a single Outcome is foreordained, a single path that does not lead destruction is no longer our Destiny."  
  
"You got all that out of a bunch of cards?" Minako asked in disbelief.  
  
Everyone craned their heads to see the card that Setsuna had put forward. It was...  
  
Ami woke up, looking at her ceiling. "Well, darn."  
  
--------  
  
Celeste shook her head. "Not bad, Sif. If they had come to a decision among them, the scenario would have ended and that would have thrown the Wizard's plans all to heck. Besides, with this crew they would have talked it out and come to a decision among themselves. They still might, but it shouldn't be the result of outside interference."  
  
Serafita shrugged. "Except that when the Mage merged the scenario with a timeline from a disaster movie, things started moving in a completely different direction. Now it's 90% ready to merge, and the black asteroids are actually bringing Galaxia into the picture a couple of seasons early."  
  
"Oh crap," said Celeste, wondering if maybe a reset was out of the question.  
  
--------  
  
She came awake gasping.   
  
"My Queen, are you all right?"  
  
Serenity willed her heart to slow its rapid pace. "Yes, Luna. It was merely a dream."  
  
"My Queen, may I yet speak?" Luna asked, ducking her head in respect.  
  
"It may be some time before We may sleep again, so speak if you will, Luna. Your counsel has always been good of intention." Serenity shrugged on her robe and willed the globes to light.  
  
"My Queen," Luna sought to put this delicately, "were you trying to drive Nebula into the arms of one of those other girls?"  
  
"Of course not," countered Serenity, "while perhaps We overreacted, We are simply following your counsel in this matter."  
  
"You are? I did? Oh dear." Luna spent a few moments trying to remember, then gave it up. "My Queen, 100 centuries of suspended animation has left a few, errr, gaps in my memory. Perhaps if you could explain, I might remember?"  
  
Serenity got a wistful expression on her face. "Very well, and perhaps We, or I at least, can cease being so formal since we're alone."  
  
Luna made herself comfortable so that she could give her full attention to the Queen.  
  
"Basalt became Nebula, the Knight Of Duty. And, of course, his primary duty was as one of the guardians of the Castle - in particular the Nursery and its charges. From time to time, I took a Consort - for the needs of a Queen are many and the people were comforted by seeing their Queen with such a one.  
  
"He was a soldier, a minor noble, and unused to positions at Court and the like. He didn't know, and likely didn't care, that the position of Consort was one with no authority or emotional attachment involved." Queen Serenity sighed, looking off into space. "He was kind and gentle, strong and protective. For all that he lacked polish, his good qualities shone through. Perhaps he was a rock among the gems of the court, but he was stronger and more useful than any of the gems. And perhaps, having been dazzled by gems all my life, the simple qualities of Basalt made him more attractive."  
  
Luna would have shrugged if she could. "So, my Queen, that explains why he was your Consort. What about this advice I gave you?"  
  
"I'm getting to that, dear Luna. He was useful, as I said, with talents he'd developed working his way through the ranks and an inner strength many of the courtiers did not have. I started sending him away from Court, because I trusted him completely. He was my Knight, and while he was hardly the best warrior or the best mage, he had a gift for being able to fix problems. Then, one day, the news came of a large ship of unusual design from beyond our solar system. Not from our old home, the ancient seat of our race that created the Crystal. No, this came from outside our solar system and tracking its course backwards indicated it may not have even come from our galaxy."  
  
"The Alien Derelict," guessed Luna.  
  
Queen Serenity nodded. "We realized later that the quantum signature was wrong. It wasn't even entirely *in* our universe, and likely came from another universe altogether. That it was steadily decelerating indicated that if it had been allowed to continue, it would have begun a solar orbit, somewhere between Earth and Mars. Naturally, this was all very concerning, and so a group of powerful operatives and specialists was quickly sent to intercept the craft and learn what it was."  
  
"And most of them died," Luna said, remembering *that* much now. "What did they find?"  
  
"Horror and death." Serenity said. "Only the fact that Nebula had mental defenses against that sort of thing, as well as a teleport, saved him. Do you remember what a wreck I was when I'd heard that most of those who boarded were dead, including a Knight and a Senshi?"  
  
"Uhm, no, actually I don't remember it at all," Luna admitted. "Pretty bad, huh?"  
  
"Yes. 'Pretty bad' as you say. Then you, Luna, noted something that stuck with me. 'A Queen cannot afford to be dependent on anyone or anything.' And that a Queen was *expected* to be able to sacrifice anything for the good of her people." Serenity was briefly silent. "It nearly killed me to do so, but I sent my Consort away. Even banished him from Court so that I would not be tempted and my resolve not waver. Using the Ginzuishou, I was able to erase the memories of her father from my daughter. But there was no one who could do the same for me."  
  
Luna's tail twitched, sometimes Serenity had a tendency to overreact. And Luna recognized (though she'd never admit it) that sometimes her advice was *not* the Wisdom Of The Ages. "Uhm, my Queen..."  
  
"But that doesn't matter now," said the Queen. "He is back and can fill the role of Consort again for now. As soon as he relinquishes this rebellion and acknowleges my authority once again, all can be as it once was. If I do not rely on him, and I keep my distance, he may be able to fulfill his duties without the emotional attachments I once held for him."  
  
Luna doubted that it would be that easy. Doubted it a LOT.  
  
----------  
  
in the meantime, here's a little something. (Anyone wanting to make corrections, please do so.)  
  
omake-  
3rd edition D&D stats:  
  
Rigel Maerklos, male human, 9th level Psion (Telepath), Size M (5ft, 8 in tall); HD 9d4, hp:38, AL:NG; Spd:30ft; AC 12 (+1 Dex, +1 Ring of Protection, +4 Inertial Armor); Str 11, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 16, Wis 17, Cha 16. Languages spoken: Common (Waterdhavian accent), Elvish (partial- has trouble with the flowing syllables), Waterdhavian. Feats: Improved Psicrystal, Inertial Armor (1 pt psi, +4 AC), Psionic Bastion, Psychoanalyst, Talented  
Skills: Animal Empathy 8, Autohypnosis 3, Bluff 4, Concentration 8, Diplomacy 4, Disguise 2, Gather Information 4, Intimidate 2, Knowledge (psi) 4, Move Silent 3, Profession (Trader) 4, Psicraft 6, Remote View 6, Ride (horse) 3, Sense Motive 6, Use Psionic Device 3  
power points: 39  
melee +4, ranged combat +5, Fort Save +3, Ref Save +3, Will Save +6, +1 initiative (Dex bonus)  
Psionic Combat Modes: Empty Mind, Intellect Fortress, Mental Barrier, Thought Shield, Tower Of Iron Will; Ego Whip, Id Insinuation, Mind Thrust, Psychic Crush  
0 level - Daze, Missive, Telempathic Projection, Control Shadow, Detect Psionics, Inkling; 1st level - Charm Person, Empathy, Lesser Mindlink, Object Reading; 2nd level - Detect Thoughts, Intrusive Sense Link, Sensitivity To Psychic Impressions; 3rd level - Lesser Domination, Mindlink, Remote Viewing; 4th level - Domination, Aura Sight  
Special Equipment: Ring of Protection +1, Psicrystal (Quartz, Observant/Sneak, +2 on Spot checks, +2 on Move Silent).  
Rigel Maerklos was born of a lesser branch of the family Maerklos in Waterdeep. His birthcries were felt as far away as the Dalelands by telepathically sensitive individuals. However, as all of his family are mages or learned in magic, he is considered a "Black Sheep" among his family- particularly due to his relationship with Wisp.  
Due to his unusually strong telepathic birthcry, it was expected that Rigel had a Destiny or would turn out to be a great hero of some sorts. So far, his performance has been disappointingly normal - he hasn't manifested any abilities that one wouldn't expect of a trained telepath of his level. He *has* been attacked by assassins on three occasions, all hired by the same woman if telepathic scans can be trusted. Looking for a mysterious cloaked woman doesn't give him much hope of finding the why or who behind these, and his family has come to the conclusion that it's simply a rival trading family who resents the edge a telepath has in negotiations.  
The only thing that stands out about him so far is the bond he forged with Wispara when drow slavers attacked his adventuring party. Even that, however, may have been the working of a magical device the group had found - only to be forced to turn it over to Waterdhavian authorities as it was sufficiently powerful and unknown to attract the attention of the Lords.  
He has since met and befriended the priestesses of Elistraee in the Promenade under Waterdeep.  
Their rings of protection are a matched set, what the elves refer to as "promise rings" - indicating that they are lifemates or intend to be.  
  
Wispara Deunan, female elf Rog9: Size M (4 ft., 6 in. tall); HD 9d6; hp 32; Init +6 (+2 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative); Spd 30 ft.; AC 12 (+2 Dex); Attack +7/+2 melee, or +10/+5 ranged; SV Fort +2, Ref +10, Will +3; AL CG; Str 12, Dex 14, Con 9, Int 11, Wis 9, Cha 12. Languages Spoken: Common, Elven. Feats: Dodge, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Quick Draw.  
Appraise 5, Balance 9, Climb 9, Decipher Script 8, Disable Device 7, Escape Artist 9, Hide 9, Listen 8, Move Silently 10, Open Lock 9, Perform 4, Pickpocket 7, Search 12, Spot 9, Swim 2, Tumble 8, Use Magic Device 7, Use Rope 6, Wilderness Lore 2, Craft: Weaving 8.  
Special Equipment: dagger +1/+4 vs tiny; rapier +2; ring of protection +1, leather armor +1  
Wispara Deunan is short for an elf, extremely so. She carries herself much larger, for the most part. She is sometimes mistaken for a Tallfellow halfling, to her continual annoyance. Wispara is a refugee from her homeland, though she refuses to talk about it, other than to declaim that it wasn't her fault. Wispara gets along fairly well with the drow priestesses of Elistrae under Waterdeep, though this is mainly on an individual basis.  
Wispara's reason for being a bit of an outcast is actually her own birth. It seems her mother wasn't quite faithful to her father, and she is of mixed elf birth. A Sun Elf, but with a trace of Moon Elf in her. As someone shunned by her heritage, Wispara can relate to the good aligned drow of the Promenade.  
Wisp is short, slender, blond, blue eyed, fair skinned. She's somewhat jealous of human women (for their height and bustlines mainly), and is fairly possessive and protective towards "her Rigee". Even though she's a Rogue by talent and class, she considers herself a warrior who simply has some skills in other areas.  
  
CAMPAIGN USE: Wisp & Rigel will almost always be encountered together. The two are deeply in love, though Rigel tends to be quieter and easily embarassed by Wisp's open displays of affection. They undertake missions for the Promenade due to friendships with that group, or (as they are trying to establish relations with that group) the Harpers.  
  
  
============  



	13. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 13, Rewrite

A Soldier's Duty, Fourth Labor  
Chapter 13  
  
DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and related concepts originated by Naoko Takeuchi. Naoko Takeuchi originated by Mr & Mrs Takeuchi. We'd like to thank the city of Tokyo for their assistance in the following fanfic. Soundtrack by John Williams. Special Effects by Industrial Light & Magic.   
  
"War is a series of catastrophes that culminates in a victory." - Georges Clemenceau  
  
------------  
  
The "war council" was rather crowded. Especially when it was taking place at the breakfast table.  
  
"Okay," said Kumori Mizuno, looking over her daughter, her daughter's fiance, and several guests. "Let me see if I've got this straight. Ami was, up until last night, the miniskirted samurai of a 10,000 year old magical kingdom reborn in modern times."  
  
"Uhm, actually, that's 'sailorsuited warrior of love and justice', Mom," corrected Ami, who had never realized how silly that actually sounded until she tried explaining it to her mother.  
  
"The Queen of this thousand century old kingdom has just returned, and you've been dismissed from service because you stood up for your fiance - who used to be that queen's consort." Doctor Mizuno waited for her daughter to nod before continuing. "Your fiance was on the roof with the former Sailor Pluto here, who was a friend of his in that very same ancient kingdom, because neither of them are very good with crowds? The Queen got herself into a royal snit, removed your Senshi abilities, and is basically going to wait for you to apologize for something you haven't done before she would restore you?"  
  
"Uhm, yes," said Ami. Setsuna merely nodded.  
  
Kumori nodded. "Meanwhile, another of your friends that is *also* engaged to Grey-san is in the same boat as you, having had her Senshi abilities removed. Meanwhile, Ms. Aenslad is *not* engaged to Grey-san but says she's already sworn to serve him?"  
  
Morrigan daintily used her hankerchief to remove ketchup from her mouth. "Actually, the term is 'thrall' - and it's not so bad. If I understand the Japanese customs, it is similar to what a ninja does for her lord."  
  
Neither Grey nor Morrigan understood why the Japanese looked uncomfortable at that.  
  
Tabling the green-haired girl's faux paus (she hoped it was) for the moment, Doctor Mizuno continued. "So, Ami and her friends are currently divided by the presence of this Queen, and your side is lacking in power."  
  
"Ahem."  
  
"Sorry, Ms. Aenslad." Doctor Mizuno considered. "Perhaps, daughter, you should take this as an opportunity. You could study abroad and get to know your fiance in an area less prone to supernatural conflicts. There are many fine medical colleges in America."  
  
Ami started blushing and shrinking in on herself, stammering something that might have been a denial. Or might not.  
  
Kumori observed the way Ami eyed her fiance and decided that the relationship wasn't unsalvageable. Despite the news report mentioning Ami's relationship with her friends being less than platonic. "Well, there's only one thing to do."  
  
Morrigan held up a finger. "Stage a coup?"  
  
Setsuna shook her head. "No belittlement of your abilities, Aenslad-san, but she has the Crystal. We would be better off going elsewhere. Besides, I deserve a vacation. At this rate she'll alienate the rest of the Senshi and they'll be joining us soon."  
  
Ami didn't think much of that idea. Bad enough that Sailor Mercury was "on leave" for now. "Request an audience with the Queen when she's in a better mood?"  
  
Grey didn't consider *that* worth considering seriously. "Finish breakfast and get to school?"  
  
"Bingo," said the Doctor with a nod to Grey.   
  
---------  
  
Staring into the mirror and adjusting the scarf of her school uniform, a young girl tried not to cry.  
  
Minako Aino had spent a great deal of time being alone.  
  
With the nagging and kibbutzing of a certain white-haired mooncat, she had been thrust into the role of Sailor V without much preparation. It had been "sink or swim" - and while she'd felt overwhelmed and about to go under at any moment, she had overcome.  
  
The relief at being able to join the rest of the Senshi, of no longer having to fight alone as Sailor V, words couldn't do it justice.   
  
Now she was in limbo.   
  
Usagi was reunited with her mother, but that mother had just kicked Sailor Venus off the team. Would Usagi, or Makoto, or Rei be allowed to talk with her? Usagi had been reunited with her Silver Millenium *Mother* - Minako didn't want to interfere there for Usagi's sake. She also didn't want Rei or Makoto to share her own fate if they could help it.  
  
Artemis, constant nag that he was, had been some company but he had gone off to be with the Queen.  
  
Danburite, a fiance from the Silver Millenium, whom she'd abandoned to pursue Jedite had cursed her to be unable to find love as it might conflict with duty. How *very* old fashioned Japanese. Minako had sorted this out, and if she pursued her relationship with Shard as the Knight Of Duty - the curse would be foiled.  
  
Except that he was no longer Nebula, or was he? The card in that dream had been faded but not completely. What Minako was thinking now was that just as she felt pretty much as she always had, that what had been disabled was her Sailor Venus identity. She still had the connection to that mana. No doubt she could help to empower Sailor Moon as they'd all done in the past. It was just that her henshin pen wouldn't work.  
  
So, that meant that Grey was the former Knight Of Duty - still her best (perhaps only) chance at breaking the curse. Unfortunately, that put her into conflict with her only remaining friend that she knew was in the same boat as herself: Ami.  
  
Whether Ami was interested or not was another question. Grey-san apparently didn't care that much for math (at least during class) and he hadn't shown a flicker of interest when Ami had mentioned the chess club. For Ami, studying, chess, and swimming pretty much defined her life. How could she handle having a fiance? Besides, she had Ryo Urawa if the boy could ever tear *himself* away from his studies and get into this part of town once in awhile.  
  
And don't even get her started on Ami's English skills. Minako smiled a little at that. Ami was a typical "A" student in English: she had rote memorized large segments of the language, could read it nearly as easily as Japanese, and didn't know it nearly as well as she thought she did. One of the problems she'd found in England had been that a lot of the exercises and manuals written back in the 70s were inaccurate to wildly wrong. The English language had been developed as a trade pidgin for centuries before it became a formal language, and then it incorporated bits and pieces of other languages for centuries thereafter. Many Japanese had trouble learning the language, as instead of designed for social interaction and circular dialogues (as Japanese was), English had its roots in bartering and get-straight-to-the-point dialogues.  
  
If Grey-san returned to his own country (as was likely), his fiance at that point would most likely go with him. Ami *might* go and study abroad, but with Minako it would be a surety. American high school? No problem. She could handle it.  
  
She wouldn't give up. She wouldn't fold. She was the courageous Sailor V no matter what some Queen said. She'd sworn to protect her princess, and if the Queen dismissed her - then she was a free agent. Ready to take on the world and make it give her what *she* wanted!  
  
Minako finished getting ready for school and tentatively smiled at the mirror. She didn't think she'd fool anyone.  
  
------  
  
The after school meeting was somber to begin with.  
  
Usagi wasn't sure what to say to Minako or Ami, much less Maya or Honey. The reverse was also true. Sakura was just a stoic lump sitting demurely over there.  
  
Grey, uncomfortable with most of this, busied himself in the kitchen.  
  
"My mother is seriously considering the possibility of me accompanying my fiance back to the United States," said Ami into the awkwardness. "It seems that there is little I can do to help now."  
  
"-You still have the Mercury computer, though without the visor,-" pointed out Grey from where he was adding something to a bowl. Knowing enough Japanese by now that he was guessing the rest.  
  
Ami blinked then tried to call it forth. Only to stare in surprise when it appeared. "How? Then can you call your Chain?"  
  
"-Kusari? You're talking too fast again, Ami-chan. And unfamiliar words.-" Grey started a pot simmering, and added something more to the bowl.  
  
Makoto began to twitch. A guy younger than her in the kitchen. Okay, he'd made decent food before. That was no guarantee, of course. It felt like someone was invading her territory.  
  
Setsuna answered for Grey. "Like my Staff, his Chain was linked to his duty and identity in the Silver Millenium. You are still the Princess Mercury, which grants you your computer. The Chain and Staff could be used in our civilian identity but were part of the identities now sealed to us."  
  
"So can you regain that identity without going back to Mom? I mean, Queen Serenity?" Usagi corrected herself embarassingly.  
  
"It's possible," allowed Setsuna, sniffing at the smell of something delightful cooking on the stove. "It is in the nature of our heritage from the Silver Millenium that special abilities resurface or are discovered in moments of great crisis or emotion."  
  
Usagi hadn't completely given up on the concept of getting her Silver Millenium mother and father together again. "Maybe Mom, err, Queen Serenity, could just use the Crystal to restore you?"  
  
Setsuna spent a moment looking at the ceiling. "She could blast an asteroid out of orbit with that Crystal. If it were used right and one ignored the side effects."  
  
"That little crystal has *that* much power?" Morrigan was surprised.  
  
Usagi and the others, sans two mooncats, listened uncomfortably.   
  
Grey continued stirring the pot while putting a tray of something in the oven."-Yes. It's not inexhaustible though. It's vampiric - feeding on the emotions and life energies of the wielder. It could kill the wielder, or her allies if she draws too much power at once.-"  
  
Rei waited until the translation, then made an offhanded gesture. "Well, that's nothing. If we die, I'm sure Usagi will just bring us back using the Silver Crystal."   
  
"-Good kami-sama, don't even *joke* about that,-" Grey said, shuddering. "-You weren't there for Orion's Bane or Hecate's Experiment.-"  
  
"Uhm... Imperial Seal?" Minako guessed.  
  
"-Yes,-" Grey confirmed. "-If the Heir requests it, I can give details. But you *never* want to try that. That much I can tell you as it *is* need to know.-"  
  
There was dead silence as everyone turned their gaze from the former Knight Of Duty to another target.  
  
"eh-heh," managed Usagi weakly. "Uhm. Okay, Dad, what exactly would be so bad about that?"  
  
Grey let out a long breath. "-Daughter. It's possible to resurrect people with the Silver Crystal, but did it occur to you that Queen Serenity did NOT do this after her kingdom fell? That instead of resurrecting you, she used her own life energies to reincarnate all of you over ten thousand years later?-"  
  
Usagi was not the only one to get a sinking feeling as they turned that idea over. Minako had sounded quite thoughtful as she translated. "Uhm. So what's the bad side? If someone's brought back to life by the Silver Millenium Crystal, they're not dead anymore at least, right?"  
  
"-Princess,-" Grey began then went into thought as he began adding ingredients to the pot. "-Are you familiar with the bulk matter transmitter first developed? How things were broken down into patterns of energy, then transmitted and reassembled? And no matter how the fractal mechanics were devised, there were always variations between what was transmitted and what was remade?-"  
  
Usagi shook her head, but *knew* she didn't like the looming feeling of something BAD.  
  
"-Orion was a fine warrior, a poet, and a musician. He was reknowned for being one of the best shots in the Moon Kingdom. He died. A stupid thing, slipping on a wet tile. As he was a favorite of the Queen at that time, she used the Silver Millenium Crystal to revive him.-"  
  
When Grey paused, all the Senshi were ready to leap up and scream in frustration and nervousness. "And?!"  
  
Grey faced them, letting the pot simmer behind him. "-Orion was revived, but he was *different* from then on. Where he'd been a subcommander before, he was rather more of a buffoon and not nearly as competent or commanding. His flaws had become emphasized, and what had been personality quirks had become exaggerated.-"  
  
Everyone glanced at Minako briefly, who merely looked puzzled at the attention as she translated.  
  
"-Orion died again a few years later. Again the Queen resurrected him, feeling that she was responsible.-" Grey shook his head. "-This time, Orion was a two dimensional cariacture of himself. Only the soldier remained, and his pride was great enough for four men. He died in a useless fight, and again the Queen revived him - still thinking that she must have gotten something wrong.-"  
  
"Had she?" Ami found herself asking, ignoring the Mercury computer for now.  
  
"-No. Not really.-" Grey frowned at the girls' reactions. "-The final time he was basically an automaton. When not around the Queen he essentially shut down. That was the key, you see. The Crystal takes life force and emotional strength, and can essentially grant wishes with the strength of the wielder becoming the strength of the wish. However, there are a lot of variables that go into the making of a person. Resurrecting a person by the Crystal, it isn't 100% accurate. You're resurrecting them as a version of themselves, almost but not quite the same. More, the resurrection is based on the wielder's idea of what the person was like. It's possible to get good results, with luck. Once, maybe twice. The third time is *always* a disaster.-"  
  
There was mass silence answering him.  
  
"-The Queen herself closed Orion's eyes, and said 'Rest Well, Faithful Servant' and dissolved the husk of Orion that she had resurrected that last time. Reincarnation seems to work best, but resurrection is fraught with problems. And you did it didn't you?-"  
  
Usagi and her friends looked at each other, each seeing the fright and horror in their eyes.  
  
"-The problem with cheating death is that she eventually catches on,-" said Grey before turning back to his soup.  
  
"Uhm, what are you making there?" Makoto asked, really anxious to have a change of subject.  
  
"Potato soup. Just water, potatos, onion, parsley, a little flour, chicken broth, touch of garlic... hey, try it before you go making faces!"  
  
Minako frowned as she finished translating. Couldn't *someone* give her a hand here?  
  
Makoto winced. Then looked a little surprised as Setsuna walked past her, used a ladle to pour a small amount into a bowl, then drank the mix.   
  
"-Needs a touch more salt,-" was Setsuna's opinion.   
  
"-Well that and another ten minutes simmering.-" Grey said with a shrug.   
  
"What's in the oven?" Makoto asked, wondering if maybe the rumors about American guys being completely clueless, especially in the kitchen, might be a little bit exaggerated.  
  
"Hmmm," hmmmed Ami, thinking of the benefits of a fiance who could cook. She came home, tired from long hours of study, to find a banquet prepared for her. Her husband sweeps her close, his arms holding her gently as they lean together for a kiss...  
  
"Ami, do you feel all right, you look kind of feverish?" Usagi hadn't seen Ami like this very often. Staring off into space, little smile, flushed, bright eyes, she hadn't looked like this since the last time Urawa-san had dropped by. Oh. Nevermind. Cancel Red Alert. Then Usagi glanced at Minako. "Uh oh."  
  
Minako's eyes were gleaming as she checked out the boy's buns as he puttered around the stove. Her delicate nostrils had pulled out *another* scent. "-Grey-chan, what's in the oven?-"  
  
There were a couple of glares at that term being used for Ami's fiance.  
  
"-Ancient American recipe. Well, sort of. They're called 'tollhouse cookies'. That girl in class - Naru Osaka? She knew a place that sold the ingredients.-"  
  
"To-ru-hou-so?" Usagi sounded it out. English was still very much not her specialty. A brief image of a spoon of burning medication passed briefly through her head as she tried to figure it out as a compounded Japanese word.  
  
"Chocolate chip cookies," translated Minako.  
  
*Zoom!* Usagi was at the stove's window looking in.  
  
"Tonight's the dance at the mansion," Setsuna said, calmly putting her tea down. "Why don't we meet at Ichinohashi Park."  
  
Sakura glanced at Maya then at the others. Being silent and in the background, many ignored her presence. Which was actually a good thing, in her estimation. That her own name had been added to the fiancee queue was merely a matter of duty, of course. ~Hmmm. A husband who can cook. Hmmm.~  
  
---------  
  
Eudial had everything ready. A formal ball. The waltz, drinks, people mingling. Her hand went to the little dissolving gelcaps containing the love potion. Yes, after tonight she would have no competition for the boy, then he would serve *her* cause. And she'd find a way to cut the Wizard out of the equation.  
  
Haruka Ten'ou and Michiru Kaioh rescued some of their clothing from the crater that had once been their penthouse. That both of their family fortunes had been seized, and they were (for the moment) penniless was of some concern, but they'd overcome adversity before. Though that boy would surrender his Talisman soon, one way or the other. Perhaps at this Ball.  
  
A spirit of female lust known as the Terakoya gave praise to the kami for she had found the damn mother lode!(1) Now if there weren't all those scary damn samurai everywhere.  
  
The Wizard took a good look at the black asteroids. He had been ready to summon *his* version of Sailor Galaxia. It would have amused him to have a version running around turning victims into sailorsuited bimbos. The real one, on the other hand, could be a problem. But then, perhaps he no longer needed the Nexus at this point.  
  
Queen Serenity assured the two concerned mooncats that everything was fine. After all, she had the Crystal. If nothing else, all she had to do was spread its influence and everyone would recall their true path was to obey her. Which is what she should have done, she reminded them, when Beryl had started that little problem. Neither Luna nor Artemis found this particularly satisfying their reservations.  
  
------  
  
"Doom."  
  
"Oh come on, it isn't that bad!"  
  
"Doom!" Usagi insisted. "They're all speaking English!"  
  
"Look at all the cute guys," gushed Minako.  
  
"Look at all the tall guys," said Makoto happily.  
  
"My English is really bad," said Usagi, who would almost rather be facing a yoma right now.  
  
"Love knows no borders," said Rei, thinking most of them were better looking than Yuuichiro.  
  
"It's a good chance to practice your English," said Ami.  
  
"Where is Shard-san?" asked Maya, wondering if this would go as badly as yesterday's party. Of course, there was no Queen present, and Usagi didn't seem to act like a Princess normally.  
  
"There's Dad!" Usagi said, locating Grey first. "He's talking to that guy over there."  
  
"Ooooo, he's tall!" Makoto said.  
  
"He's cute!" Minako observed.  
  
"But there's something *major* creepy about him," Makoto said a moment later. She wasn't sure why, but the longer she looked at the fellow talking to Grey the more she felt like ducking for cover.  
  
"You shouldn't judge a duck by its cover," said Minako, wondering why she felt like hiding behind Makoto.  
  
Mamoru stood behind the group, ready to intervene if it looked necessary. There were a couple of sharks in these waters: teenage boys who'd think little of the consequences of getting a teenage girl drunk and into one of the beds upstairs.  
  
"Oh that group over there, they're *all* tall guys," Makoto said appreciatively.  
  
"So exotic, and many of them are pretty cute!" Minako agreed, eyeing the group herself.  
  
"Ahhh, they really are speaking in English!" Usagi moaned.  
  
"Shard-san said that he had some people he wanted us to meet," Ami said, looking around.  
  
"Ami-chan, he's your fiance and houseguest. I think you can be a little less formal," Minako said with a groan. ~Obviously it will *not* work out between Grey-chan and Ami, and as soon as they see that, Minako Aino will be able to break that curse!~  
  
"Ah, all you. This friend mine. Wright Morgan is."  
  
The girls turned, having been watching a group further away and lost track of Grey as a result.  
  
"WAAAAAGHHH!"  
  
Grey blinked. ~Dang, they can move fast when they want to.~ "-Any idea why they fled like that?-"  
  
Morgan shook his head. "-Nope. Happened some back home, but here it's nonstop. Heard Japanese girls were timid, but this is ridiculous. So which one's the one you're engaged to, and which one is the one you thinks actually interested in you?-"  
  
"-Well, you see that blond ponytail sticking out from behind the tall one? That's Usagi and she wants to be my friend. Ami's my fiance, and she's the one with the short hair who's kinda plastered against the wall. The one with the bow in her hair who's trying to hide behind the plant is Minako, and she seems to want to be my pal. Setsuna says she's interested, she's the one with the long hair who's trying to look nonchalant after backing into the wall. Except i'm kinda obligated to try pursuing Ami first, i'm staying at her place after all.-"  
  
The girls continued to stare.   
  
"-Whatever. I thought you said that these girls were brave.-"  
  
Grey sighed. "-Normally they are. i don't get it. i'd bet Hotaru would be OK.-"  
  
"-*Another* girlfriend? You rock.-" Morgan grinned. For a short guy, Grey seemed to be doing pretty good.  
  
"-Not even. She's fourteen years old. Calls me her 'sempai', which is apparently one of those Japanese words that has layers of meanings. Lost her father and her house recently. She's staying put tonight.-"  
  
"-Whatever. Better luck with someone else. Those girls are too timid for my taste.-"  
  
-------  
  
Outside, a fourteen year old girl sneezed but went back to watching her sempai. She trusted *him* of course, it was that old lady and the bookworm she was leery of.  
  
--------  
  
Eudial watched her targets carefully, then got a look at Grey's current companion and almost wet herself. There was no single quality she could point at for the effect, but the boy was terrifying.  
  
Then the boy finally left, Grey going over to talk with others and look back towards the girls while looking puzzled.   
  
The greatest threat to her plan, Eudial felt, was the cram school ace: Ami Mizuno. She and the juvenile delinquent - Makoto Kino, were supposedly a couple, but they could use some help in that regard. Then there was that annoying Shinto priestess. She said she wasn't interested but Eudial knew better. Oh yes. And that samurai girl who'd added her name to the fiancee list? Needed to be dealt with, and quickly.  
  
A tray of doctored drinks in her hands, Eudial made her move, closing in on her prey. "Ah, there you are. Mamoru-san, there are some friends of yours over there who wanted to see you. If you girls will come with me, there's a private room over here and Edwards-san said he wanted to speak with you."  
  
As Mamoru went off, Eudial smirked and led the girls off towards a room. Four minutes, that would be all it would take. Then, after they'd engaged in a mass orgy, she'd lead Shard-san to the room and their humiliation would be complete, and Shard-san would need some time alone. Which would give her the perfect time to strike!  
  
-------  
  
Heaven was an odd polyglot by any single set of standards. The "pure" Asgard of glowing n-dimensional structures that was favored by Belldandy and the Goddess Relief Office, was at odds with the rather earthy heaven of such areas as Freya's Forest or Zeus' Olympus with all its ionic pillars and folded space perspectives that would have hurt Escher's sensibilities.  
  
And, quite frankly, there were people who found perfection less than satisfying. Mortals often needed something less perfect, just in order to get their perspective and to relax a bit while visiting the abodes of the gods.  
  
What had been created in one such instance was a sort of "blotch" amongst the perfection. Some might call it a slum. To those who idolized Phillip Marlowe and similar "hardboiled detective" genres it was a piece of heaven just for them. Framed on one side by an ice cream parlor that looked rather like a giant chocolate sundae of gleaming glass, and a gymnasium built for roisterous demigods that liked to get "rowdy" - was a set of alleyways and faded red brick edifices.  
  
And in one of those alleyways, there sat a place called the Rival Relief Office. A haven for people and beings who weren't perfect and couldn't tolerate perfect for terribly long but who still had good intentions. Or, in some cases, where they could eventually graduate - having worked their way up and thereby feeling that they had earned Heaven. Except, that is, for one being. One divine individual who was a part of the Rival Relief Office simply because nobody else wanted her anywhere *near* them. Mambo Jack, who had many habits and vices that many found onerous, was tolerated elsewhere. Tennyson, who had the typical beholder problem of drooling, was unwelcome in some areas, but accepted in many areas due to his philosophical nature. Kitchiri, on the other hand, had been known to tax Belldandy's patience.  
  
Kitchiri, the goddess of bimbo, was nice, kind, polite, and very very helpful. The problem was that she was perfect. The ultimate pinnacle of the bubbleheaded, fumblefingered, lucky for herself, a jinx to anyone else in the vicinity, oversexed, underinhibited, shallower than a mirror, but quite attractive if you like that sort, goddess. She was Mihoshi to nth degree, C-ko Kotobuki with sprinkles and a side order of fries, the very sort of goddess that caused Celeste to reach for migraine medicine.  
  
Mambo Jack, a god of male potency, thumbed a switch when he went to the room where Kitchiri was supposed to be filing alphabetically and acting out the part of a secretary for tour groups, and found that Kitchiri was missing.  
  
Alarms went off through various areas of Asgard and outlying areas. Barriers slid quietly into place around certain areas. Kitchiri was not evil, nor did she intend for anything to turn out particularly dangerous. It was just that she was so helpful. And incompetent. And unlucky.   
  
However, one barrier did not catch in time. One lock mysteriously failed to function. One alarm failed to sound.  
  
And so, in the Goddess Relief Office, Celeste wondered what that odd sense of impending doom was from, but continued to work on files, losing herself in a creative high.  
  
Which was really a darn pity.   
  
Unfortunately, at that point, Serafita was watching a truly demented crossover timeline (Ranma/Josie & The Pussycats) where Ranma's catfist training had been completely bizarre and had involved throwing the little boy into a darkened pit where a pop group had been kidnapped.  
  
-----------  
  
Ami lowered her Mercury computer. "There are no traces of Dark Kingdom energies, no black band signatures, no necromantic auras."  
  
"I could have *sworn*," said Rei. "Could your computer be wrong? You don't have the visor."  
  
Ami shook her head briefly. "Positive. It's... uh oh."  
  
"Uh oh?!" Several girls backed away from the table, now staring as if they expected the glasses on the tray to start sprouting tentacles and attack them. (They did.)  
  
"I think it's been spiked. 40% white grape juice, 45% carbonated water, 10% alcohol." Mercury frowned, as 5% was coming up "5% water." There was also a flag indicating unknown microorganisms present. Of course, she'd once made the mistake of going to Jiffy Burger and scanning the food and getting results that had made her want to run screaming from the building. It was that there was two readings on the water that puzzled her.  
  
"Alcohol?" Minako blinked. "What kind?"  
  
"Computer identifies it as a high grade of rice whiskey," Ami started trying a cross reference.  
  
"That's her evil plan," said Minako - leaping to a conclusion, "she plans on us drinking a little of that, then she brings the bottle by later, and pretty soon we're drunk and out of the picture!"  
  
"That fiend!" Usagi chimed in, going to a stance of righteous declaration. "Errr, why would she do that?"  
  
"So that she could have time to work her wicked feminine wiles on Grey-chan," declared Minako, matching Usagi's stance perfectly.  
  
Setsuna let out a noise that might have been amusement. "I've spoken with Eudial Katsuragi. In terms of feminine wiles, she's unarmed."  
  
Rei and Minako both memorized that line for later use.  
  
"Hmmm," Morrigan sniffed at one of the drinks. Then glanced up at a spirit that was invisible to everyone else. The Terakoya was quite obvious to her. And the approaching presence of someone less amusing. A pity to lose the opportunity for such mischief, but that overbearing worm was going to hurt someone if he *did* show up.  
  
"I'm getting a surge of dark energy!" Ami declared, reading her computer. "It's approaching quickly!"  
  
Morrigan grimaced. ~Of course, if I can sense him, he can sense me. And likely knows I've thralled myself as a measure of protection. Which means he'll figure out who, though it won't be too obvious.~ "Girls, I'd suggest any of you that have the ability to transform, use one of those side rooms and do so."  
  
"Is it a youma?" Rei grabbed her henshin pen, grateful that at least she and Makoto weren't helpless. And ignoring the yoma - even if Morrigan was an ally. For the moment, then she'd turn and seduce them all! She'd seen it in a dream just last night!  
  
"Power level exceeds Malachite's," Ami reported.  
  
Rei and Makoto came to a stop. So did Usagi. Minako just hung her head and muttered something that didn't sound at all encouraging.  
  
"Exceeds Malachite?" Rei asked, eyebrow twitching.  
  
"Dark energy level at least five times what Malachite possessed," Ami quickly read the figures. "Beryl level threat, though the energy signature is quite different."  
  
"Beryl?!" Usagi squeaked.  
  
"He's after me," Morrigan said calmly, transforming her costume. "Now you can fight alongside me, flee, or just try to keep him from eating any noncombatants. But I would suggest you move."  
  
----------  
  
Currently without even what he considered his normal psychic talents, Grey felt crippled even more than by the accumulated injuries.  
  
He'd grown up with the Talent. Some hint or flash of potential paths, some odd bit of foresight here, the occasional predictive dream or just a "feeling" that some action was more right than another. It was like in that series "Magnum PI" where a "little voice" warned the main character that something was afoot. Not completely reliable, silent more often than he'd prefer, but when it spoke up one learned to listen.  
  
Now, thanks to the Queen, it was silent. When she'd used the Crystal on him, she'd been even more thorough than with Setsuna. Ami and Minako had simply been "turned off" as far as Senshi abilities. Setsuna had been shut down all the way. Whereas Nebula had been cut apart.  
  
Cutting Nebula off from the Chain had been like severing a good part of the Knight's psyche - the Chain hadn't just been a tool, it had been invested with a great deal of his own mental energies to empower it. Then Nebula had been turned off before he could recover.  
  
Grey had most of Nebula's memories, however there was no discrete part of "Nebula, aka Basalt, alias the Knight Of Duty" left. The two were one, though most of Nebula had simply been lost.   
  
It was odd, he'd gotten used to the dual nature there. Maybe it was just humans being ultimately adaptable creatures. Maybe it was his own "try to find common ground and concentrate on that" philosophy. Sharing one's skull with a past self hadn't been all that bad.  
  
Now looking about for Ami (though the conflicting signals she was giving him were definitely driving him batty), Grey didn't have enough psychic talent operating to find her, notice the Terakoya, or even the overmuscled figure of the vampire lord until he blew the patio doors in with an explosion.  
  
"MORRIGAN! COME OUT AND BOW BEFORE YOUR MASTER!"  
  
There were a few shrieks, but these were international students, and some were not easily cowed. A college student named Ned tried to get protective. When Dimitri slammed the German boy into a wall with an audible crunch, people started taking him seriously.  
  
"Dimitri," said Morrigan, stepping out of a side room, "you are supposed to be a nobleman. Try to have a little class, please."  
  
"What do I care for these cattle? You..." Dimitri stopped and sniffed. "You've let yourself be thralled?! Nice try, but all I need do is kill your Master and then I can thrall you myself."  
  
"Not that easy," Morrigan promised.  
  
"Then I'll feast on these mortal kine," Dimitri suggested, turning darker and manifesting long jagged teeth.  
  
"Hold it right there!"  
  
"Huh?" Dimitri said, sensing a magical presence.  
  
"Party crashers always end in HEY!" Sailor Moon dodged as the vampire sent an energy blast in her direction. "Why doesn't anyone wait for me to finish my speech anymore?!"  
  
Sailor Jupiter ran forward, dodging a Soul Fist attack. "You Dark Kingdom types just make me..."  
  
Dimitri's eyes glowed as he met the paralyzed Jupiter's gaze. "Be a good girl and stay there for a moment."  
  
"AKURYO TAISAN!" Sailor Mars threw a spread of spirit wards which missed Dimitri as he teleported. "AAAH!"  
  
Holding the red-garbed Senshi up by her neck, Dimitri smiled. Then was nailed by Morrigan's own Soul Fist.  
  
"I have fed recently, Morrigan. You have not. I will win." Dimitri promised, tossing aside Sailor Mars. "More to the point, I have used the time since our last meeting to find an artifact of power."  
  
"MOON TIARA ACTION!"   
  
Again Dimitri teleported. "Observe." The vampire gestured and shadows began flowing over Sailor Moon who went into a panic attack. "I am now more than a Lord Of Darkness. I *am* the Darkness."  
  
Morrigan launched herself, rising up, then spinning down.  
  
Dimitri teleported to appear behind Sailor Jupiter. With one gesture he bared her neck and showed his fangs. "Don't give up? Perhaps your friends will join me in the Darkness."  
  
Morrigan hesitated, seeing Makoto staring glassily off. "Damn, I *knew* I should have taught them some mental defense techniques."  
  
Dimitri smiled, then a little shocked as someone slammed a broken piece of wood into his back.  
  
Sailor Jupiter dropped, the haze beginning to clear from her eyes, as Dimitri turned to see who had begun this new attack.  
  
A thin strip of a boy, who looked scared but determined. And holding another piece of wood in his hands.  
  
Dimitri blinked. His aura. "Nice try, but you have to penetrate the heart in a single motion and you lack the strength to do so. If I had a heart, that is."  
  
Morrigan attacked, a quick series of kicks and wing slashes. Dimitri briefly endured, then slammed the boy with a Soul Fist. As he had figured, Morrigan reacted as if *she* had been struck as well. "So, this *boy*, Morrigan? Your tastes are fairly poor. Once I have mastered you, that will change. I..."  
  
Morrigan stopped. Dimitri stopped. Power had just flared within the room.  
  
Hotaru Tomoe, age 14, a child of poor health, had entered through the blasted doors and was glowing purple. With something that looked like a letter "h" on her forehead.  
  
Morgan Wright, a bit older, a scruffy looking fellow, was glowing blue.   
  
Hotaru watched her sempai trying to get back up and the big muscular guy with the teeth about to knock him back down. She lost her temper and said the words in her head. "Saturn Planet Power - Make Up!"  
  
Morgan watched his most recent friend try to get up and attack someone clearly several orders of magnitude more powerful than himself. He knew what was needed, and that was enough. Obsidian stood, crouched to begin an attack.  
  
Minako, still running on Sailor V reflexes, managed a fairly good flying "Sailor V Kick" despite being just plain Minako Aino. Setsuna Meiou proved that she had spent some time practicing with her staff, and an improvised stake worked quite well. Maya Tono and Sakura Shinguchi circled, weapons at the ready. Ami found herself in front of Grey, ignoring him trying to get up, as she scanned.  
  
Sailor Moon finished screaming something about "Rei-chan" then took her own place, winding up for an attack.  
  
The problem each was running into was that they had *no* experience with working together, the few who had were already on the ropes. Therefore a lot of attacks were started, only to stop as an ally got in the line of fire.  
  
"ENOUGH!" Dimitri roared and sent a wave of darkness in all directions. Furniture shattered, pulverized. Several attackers dropped or were stunned. Dimitri quickly crossed to the girl who was between him and his primary target, and bared her neck with a well practiced move. "I need to recharge, and gain an ally. You're elected." He bit deeply, drinking of her blood and essence.  
  
Grey struggled up, really missing Nebula's ability to use chi to heal himself, and saw Ami getting drained of blood.   
  
--------  
  
Celeste nodded at the crowd. "Okay, votes are in. These three received equal numbers of votes. Since it's genre for emotional stress to unlock powers and the like, we'll just use this Aspect to replace Nebula."  
  
"Oh! I didn't get to vote!"  
  
Celeste involuntarily froze, her face a mask of horror. "...no. Please. Not *her*..." Nor was she the only one reacting in such a manner.  
  
And then the word from Kitchiri's mouth. The word mortal and deity alike had learned to fear. A term that many, from the inhuman Red-Gold-Orange to the beholder Tennyson to even Belldandy had learned to associate with disaster.   
  
"Oopsie!"  
  
----------  
  
(1) The Terakoya appeared in the "Sailor Moon SuperS Special: Ami Chan's First Love". The mythological significance of this gaudily dressed spirit is unknown by myself. Anybody know if there's actually a background to this char?  
(2) Kiyou Binbou is a myth/legend/example for the Japanese. A guy who starved to death because he couldn't specialize.  
  
  
OMAKE OMAKE OMAKE OMAKE OMAKE  
  
"...he's not the WORST father, but you'd have to make an effort to find a worse one."  
  
Toltiir raised an eyebrow, which wasn't that obvious on a cat. "So you think you could do a better job than him?"  
  
"Not only yes, but Hell Yes," responded the youth.  
  
The cat waved a paw and the youth vanished. "Fine. 'Put your money where your mouth is' or something to that effect."  
  
--------  
  
A phone rang in the main office of the Rival Relief Office.  
  
The person in charge of the desk picked it up, trying not to show her inexperience with such things.   
  
"Rival Relief Office. Your problem is our business. Errr, or something like that. This is Sasami! Can I help you?"  
  
Sasami listened for a few moments, then tried to suppress a giggle. She failed. "Oh my. So you're currently *Genma's* replacement? I can see where that would be stressful. Uh huh. Yes, I agree, if your wife found out she *would* be rather upset that you were engaged to Ranma's mother."  
  
Sasami rolled her eyes and smirked. "Oh. Married? Oh dear. Leapt in right during the ceremony, eh? Nodoka Saotome? What's going on in the background anyway? Oh. Locked yourself in there? She's trying to batter in the door, huh? Well, those *are* husbandly duties."  
  
Sasami giggled at the sounds of breaking wood in the background. "I'll let people know you need some help with this one. Nah, just Bast and Mambo Jack. Yes, I *am* aware he's the god of (ahem) male endurance. With Nodoka, that'll help her get over Genma."  
  
Sasami held the phone away from her head briefly. "Now, now. Try to enjoy it. You've been saying you could use a vacation."  
  
----------  
  
Sixteen years later:  
  
Tatewaki Kuno stood at the back of the crowd, awaiting his turn.  
  
A boy he'd never seen before came walking down the street, cracking the knuckles of one hand, then the other. Kuno dismissed the peasant after a moment, obviously of no consequnce.  
  
The crowd had not yet firmed its position, Akane wasn't expected just yet. There was plenty of room for the boy to pass their ranks.  
  
Instead the boy stood in front of the gates and looked them over with cold eyes. "Excuse me. Do any of you remember a girl about 5'4", bow in her hair who was a new transfer student last week?"  
  
There were a few puzzled looks and a number of winces. She'd been as cute as Akane, and so (quite naturally) they'd attacked her so that they could date her. Same principle right?  
  
"I see you do, she's a friend of mine. In case any of you are interested, she's out of the hospital and will be attending another school now." The boy stretched his shoulder slightly. "She's a very nice girl, and will probably forgive you. I, on the other hand..."  
  
Without any other warning at all, the boy blurred and started punching and kicking. Unlike with Akane's battles, there were cracks and pops and audible crunches. Members of the Sumo Team went flying. A member of the dance club went down clutching his throat. Arms were broken, legs were broken, joints were dislocated.  
  
Nabiki, watching from the second floor, noticed something. Each opponent ended up with a different injury. Even when an arm was broken, this boy broke it in a different area from one target to the next. When the boy shattered Hiroshi's leg, the boy screamed like a wounded rabbit. When Daisuke's leg was bent backwards, Daisuke just fainted.  
  
Flicking bits of gore from his hands, the boy looked around. "Now where's this Shooting Fart kendoist and the bitch that started this mess?"  
  
"You dare to speak of the Blue Thunder in such a manner, peasant?" Kuno stepped forward, and if he noticed the mewling piles of those classmates who weren't mercifully unconscious, he didn't show it. "I am Tatewaki Kuno, rising star of the kendo world, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High School! Your superior in breeding, skill, and manners."  
  
The boy simply cracked his knuckles again. "Ranma Saotome. Heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. Any last words?"  
  
Tatewaki Kuno began his forms. "The words you will take with you, foolish one, is that none can better the supreme skill of Tatewaki Kuno. I am URK!"  
  
Ranma had blurred again, and had buried his fist into Tatewaki Kuno's stomach. Kuno curled up and was flying backwards when Ranma moved again at that blurring speed. A punch to the jaw straightened Kuno up, and a sweeping kick changed Kuno's trajectory again to throw him sideways into a tree. The tree cracked in half from the impact. Kuno didn't get up.  
  
Ranma stepped over and grabbed Kuno's bokken, then snapped it in half casually. "Now where's this bitch Akane who can't settle her own fights?"  
  
Akane looked up from the school gates where she'd been looking over the carnage. "Eh?"  
  
Ranma began walking towards her. "Akane Tendo, I presume? A friend of mine got hurt because you can't seem to just say no to these guys. Apparently you even encourage this shit."  
  
Akane went into a combat stance, eyes slitted. "These idiots can't take no for an answer! Stay out of my fight and my business if you know what's good for yaaaghhH!"  
  
Again Ranma had blurred. Now he slowly retracted his hand from where he'd bloodied Akane's nose. "Sorry. I didn't quite catch that. You were saying that you're going to resolve this little problem before anyone else gets hurt, right?"  
  
Akane stared at the trail of blood that stained her hands after she'd checked her face. "You? You hit me! You aaaaaa!"  
  
Akane had tried to hit the boy. He'd grabbed that arm and casually snapped it before stepping away again.  
  
"Miss Tendo. Fix these problems. Or I'll be back and this will look quite tame."  
  
---------  
  
"End simulation," said Serafita with a wince.  
  
"Well, 'what if Ares had raised Ranma' is clearly a case of someone worse than Genma at being a parent," admitted Celeste. "You win."  
  
"I'm not so sure," interrupted Rikard. "Ranma raised by Ares has superior fighting skills, doesn't blow things off, and is considerably more intelligent. You'll note that he fought to avenge a friend, nobody died, but they all got an 'eye for an eye' regarding that payback. While he still has some rough edges, rather like Phoenix Ikki from 'Saint Saeya', he even gave his opponents warning before he started crushing them. Brutal, perhaps, but efficient. It's quite likely that this will stop the Horde, though neither Kuno nor Akane are likely to permanently alter their behavior."  
  
Celeste checked something and nodded. "You're right about the Horde. They drop Akane, stating that someone now must defeat Ranma to date Akane since he managed to beat both Kuno and Akane. Kuno goes after Ranma for revenge. Ranma admits to being a black sorcerer and starts playing around with the trappings, he isn't of course, but enjoys screwing with Tatewaki's head. Hmmm. No Jusenkyo curse. No Amazons. Though he does run into serious problems with the Tong later on."   
  
"Could be worse," agreed Serafita.  
  
================= 


	14. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 14, Rewrite

Chapter 14 A Soldier's Duty  
4th Labor  
  
DISCLAIMER:   
  
"We ought not be over anxious to encourage innovation, in case of doubtful improvement, for an old system must ever have two advantages over a new one; it is established and it is understood. " C. C. Colton  
  
-----------  
  
Ami Mizuno, former Sailor Mercury, was in trouble and knew it quite well.  
  
Everyone had been so busy getting in each other's way trying to land attacks on the large vampire that very few attacks had actually been able to strike him.  
  
The vampire had grabbed her up and had bitten down on her neck. As he was quite obviously a vampire, Ami knew fully well what this meant - especially coupled with the feeling that one's mind and will were being drained out with her life's blood.  
  
And with everyone scattered about from that surge of dark power, that meant that nobody was in a position to save her.  
  
Then she was thrown aside, and blurring eyes saw one of her friends (was that blur Makoto?) being introduced to the same bite.  
  
~Oh dear.~  
  
---------  
  
In a place known as Asgard (Heaven, 3rd plane) to some, there was a building known as the Goddess Relief Office.  
  
In that very Goddess Relief Office, Celeste was groaning as orderlies carried Kitchiri off before a certain goddess of bimbo was ripped apart by a certain goddess of J-Pop.  
  
"Let's see. He's got Bast's catboy cleric combined with Frostbite the silver dragon cleric combined with the magery of the gold dragon Aurian," Fleece considered the way he was attacking. "With the sexangel tossed in. Plus he goes into the Catfist essentially whenever a girl he cares about is threatened. Not good."  
  
"I'll have to stabilize it somehow," groaned Celeste. "The combination is unstable. Sex angel would be dominant."  
  
"Might as well use what he's got to heal them, otherwise several are going to be ejected from the scenario, and we can use this to bring in other aspects as well. Maybe do damage control." Serafita looked over the problems, feeling his creative juices beginning to pick up.  
  
------  
  
Finally, the mysterious artifact that Dimitri Maximoff had used to increase his power was brought out, even as Sakura threw off her own injuries to stand guard over Ami.  
  
Sailor Moon stared at the blacked moon rod device, trying to fit the nasty looking vampire with the sort of thing that looked (except the color scheme) like the sort of thing Luna would provide for them.  
  
The glow building up around a certain fellow burst, and silver wings unfurled around the youth, revealing long catlike ears and tail, short golden fur, green eyes, and sharp white teeth.  
  
Another energy blast from Dimitri was parried by Sakura.  
  
Sailor Moon tried again to begin her wind up. Maybe if she distracted him with a question she could complete it before the vampire struck again. "What did you do to Ami-chan?!"  
  
Dodging a flurry of katana strikes from Sakura, then teleporting to where he could sink claws into a ponytailed girl's chest and lift her up for a quick bite. "What I'm going to do to all of you."  
  
"AAAAAAAA! MOON SPIRAL HEART"  
  
"Soul Fist!" The blast hit Sailor Moon in mid-windup. Dimitri was running low on energy, a quick recharge was needed. Further fighting was inadvisable, therefore he'd just escape with this girl and feast before he returned.  
  
That catboy seemed to have other ideas.  
  
------  
  
Queen Serenity, holding court with her two mooncats and Royal Guard, looked up and to the side. "Sailor Saturn? And Obsidian, the Knight Of Fear? Both active at the same time. And there's another signature, one that We don't recognize."  
  
"My Queen?" Luna looked up nervously. "Wasn't the Knight Of Fear a traitor to the Kingdom?"  
  
"No, My Advisor, he was merely loud and obnoxious. Useful at times, but he was one of the three Knights banned from My Court for reasons other than incompetence or negligence of duty." Serenity continued to stare off into the distance. "Basalt was sent away from Our presence because he was useful to Us, then later because of your own advice. Bennu had that limerick. Obsidian was a savage, a barbarian who came to Us from outside civilized lands, and one who would likely have slain half my courtiers or advisors with little warning."  
  
Artemis winced. "I think I remember him. Wasn't it Obsidian who said that 'If you leave your enemies alive, you're only making more work for yourself later'?"  
  
"Something like that," agreed Serenity.  
  
"Isn't he the one who hunted down and killed Igneous in the Silver Millenium?" Luna asked.  
  
Igneous, aka Janus, alias Sehan, paled.  
  
"We are sure that the misunderstanding can be cleared up," said Serenity, still a bit distracted. "Though perhaps keeping them seperate would be advisable."  
  
Sehan silently prayed it would be so.  
  
-------  
  
The ballroom had exploded three times.   
  
This fight was not going *nearly* where Dimitri had anticipated. He'd felt that taking on Morrigan with his odd power battery would have been a simple and quick manner. Nothing about this attack had been simple *or* quick.  
  
Dimitri took a quick nibble from the pony-tailed girl but hadn't been able to drink much, not nearly enough to replace what he was losing in the process. The effect of throwing the girl at that samurai gave him a breather at least.  
  
Dimitri had tossed aside the now useless device he'd taken from that pink-haired girl. Well, actually he'd done that after his hand had gotten sliced off by that girl with the sword, which had occurred while he'd been trying to strangle the winged catboy.  
  
"SOUL FIST!" The blast caused the samurai girl to try to parry.  
  
Agony flared across Dimitri's middle as the catboy slashed with his claws. The Vampire Lord staggered as he felt *holy* magic inflicting wounds in him. This wasn't working out at all well.  
  
He turned to deal with the catboy (who was even faster than the Tokyo-based catgirl that he'd fought on occasion) and the samurai girl started slashing with some blade that bore some minor enchantment. He turned to deal with the samurai girl, Morrigan *and* the catboy were on him.  
  
"Well, this has been fun, but I must be going," Dimitri said, preparing to teleport far enough that he'd be able to transform into a bat and fly away.  
  
"NOT!"  
  
Dimitri tried to turn to the voice, only to have a long thin switchblade slammed home in his right ear canal. A moment later and he lost sight in his left eye. It was that boy from earlier, and at his side was a girl with an odd pole weapon.  
  
Dimitri's last sight was of the Silence Glaive entering his chest.  
  
He might have continued to fight except that someone had just used their claws to open his neck.  
  
Keeping in mind that vampires were hard to kill, Sakura under the direction of Morrigan made extra certain that Dimitri Maximoff would not be recovering.  
  
Though when Obsidian started making suggestions, it was remembered (by those conscious) it was the first time they'd ever heard of a succubus looking ill and shuddering.  
  
-----------  
  
The Cat sniffed, then a rough cat tongue licked one of the wounds on the girl's face. Then sniffed again. Goldfur had been kind to him, he remembered that. Sort of. Cat couldn't remember how or when, but Goldfur was nice. Goldfur was sick though. Goldfur had been tainted and Goldfur had wounds that the Cat couldn't reach with his tongue. And others, including Favored Mate, were hurt too.  
  
He needed to hurry, but it was so hard to think. Easier just to do this.  
  
The Cat bared his teeth and gently bit into Goldfur's shoulder. There were... words. That was it, words. Things that needed to be said, even if the Cat didn't understand them. It was necessary to do this, the Cat felt that this was so even if language wasn't understood by the conscious mind at the moment. The words came from *somewhere* though.  
  
---------  
  
"Rei-chan, Minako-chan, Ami-chan, Setsuna-san," wept Sailor Moon, surrounded by dead or dying friends. "Mako-chan..."  
  
Sailor Moon watched as Minako was tenderly nuzzled by the catboy from where she was lying broken upon the remains of a table. "Grey-san..." She watched as the winged catboy sniffed at Minako, then nudged her limp arm with his muzzle.  
  
Sailor Moon wasn't sure what to do. It was obvious from what little she'd caught of the fight (having been stunned twice by those 'Soul Fist' things) that when Grey-san had transformed, he had become sort of a cat mentally as well as physically.  
  
Then Sailor Moon really freaked at what the kitty was doing to Minako-chan! He had licked her face on that horrid wound she'd gotten, and the wound had vanished!  
  
But *now* what was he doing?!  
  
"Aaaa! Aaaaa! AaaaaaaAAAAAA!" Minako yelped noisily, coming awake with her body bucking underneath the feline boy who was biting her.  
  
Sailor Moon stared as golden fur sprouted over Minako's body and a spotted tail snaked from under her dress. "Minako-chan?!"  
  
The catboy got up and started heading for where Ami was staring sightlessly at the ceiling and moved as quickly as she could to get in the way. "No! Don't do it. Ami-chan is... Ami-chan is..."  
  
"Get out of the way, Usagi-chan."  
  
Sailor Moon blinked and looked at Minako, then wondered if maybe she needed to do a Moon Healing Escalation or something. "Minako-chan?!"  
  
Grey moved past the stunned Sailor Moon, not paying any attention to the drama behind him as he purred and licked at his Mate, then licked the ragged neck wound clean before biting her.  
  
"Minako-chan?! You're..." Sailor Moon took two steps back and made a warding gesture.  
  
With two black "tear-tracks" decorating the fur on her face, the transformed Minako grinned at Sailor Moon. "I think the term you're looking for is 'alive', Usagi-chan."  
  
"B-b-but?!" Sailor Moon's eyes wobbled like jelly beans. "You're a yoma?!"  
  
"Huh?" Minako looked over herself. "What the hat? I've got a tail? Fur?"  
  
Usagi sniffled then began bawling.  
  
"MyaaaaaaAAAAAA! Oh myaow! That was intense!" Ami said, not noticing the changes in herself at first either.  
  
---------  
  
In France, the last group of tear-gassed gibberlings were rounded up and put in cages.  
  
In New York City's Central Park, the gargoyles were being loaded onto trucks, bound with nets and tasered whenever they showed signs of breaking free.  
  
Invid technology was being studied by the Australians, of course. What remained of it, that is. The same could be said for the remains of several AT-AT units in Virginia, now property of the US Navy.  
  
The Elven Bimbo Coalition Forces attacking Utah had also been dealt with. Unfortunately for the Wizard, he had made them literally bimbo valley elves. Upon seeing a mall with a "March Madness Sale", the invasion had floundered and never recovered. And once the elf girls had found that there were cute boys in the neighborhood, there were a general cease of hostilities.   
  
----------  
  
The emergency meeting was unusual in several respects.  
  
Usagi couldn't help staring at her friends.  
  
Her friends couldn't help staring at each other.  
  
Nuku Nuku and Honey were sorry that they hadn't attended the party.  
  
Tuxedo Kamen, not too far away, rang bells and gave thanks to the kami that neither he nor Usagi had had anything like *this* happen to them.  
  
"Let's see, Minako is a cheetah," said Ami, entering the new data into her computer. The glare she aimed at Setsuna could *not* have been jealousy from the way Grey-san was curled up across the laps of Setsuna, Minako, and Sakura. Nor could she be jealous of the way Setsuna scratched him behind the ears and got him purring. Absolutely not. Ami didn't have a jealous bone in her body.  
  
"Ami-chan, your claws are digging into the table," pointed out Rei.  
  
"Oh dear," said Ami, wondering why she had done that. "Setsuna-san is back to normal, mostly, Sakura-san has just got the cat ears and tail, I guess. Errr, I'm apparently a more domestic variety of feline."  
  
"But still very cute," said Artemis, who had come to investigate for the Queen and had been all but drooling since he'd found them. Especially towards Minako. Though Makoto as a similar cat to Minako had been... Luna would have glared at him (at the very least) if she were present.  
  
"Rrrrr," purred Grey-san, moving slightly and rubbing his cheek against Greenfur's thigh.  
  
"Where'd his wings go, anyway?" Usagi wanted to know, wondering also why Ami started snarling at Setsuna. (Blink) No, it must've just been her imagination.  
  
"He's dismissed them for the time being. Much like Mercury can do with her computer," Setsuna was practically purring herself.  
  
"Makoto and Rei were able to change back by transforming back from Senshi. I suspect that the Silver Millenium magic is stronger than this... odd transformation." Ami adjusted her glasses and tried to keep her ears from going flat against her skull as she watched the three with her fiance.  
  
Rei glared at the catboy. "What about those words?"  
  
Usagi blinked. "What words, I didn't hear anything?"  
  
Ami cleared her throat. "There was something, but I..."  
  
Minako held up a hand. "They weren't aloud, but I heard them. It was an offer.  
"My servant return to the fray,  
And from my side now never stray,  
Life force firm with some of mine,  
Thread of fate now intertwine,  
Heal the heart and soothe the mind,  
whilst caring is returned in kind,  
Body, soul, mind, and heart,  
weave together - come not apart,  
Thy Master calls you whole and hale,  
To serve me now on Destiny's trail."  
  
"That was it." Sakura stroked soft golden fur. "Though my wounds were minor, I accepted the offer. In battle with such enemies, a samurai should not refuse any advantage that does not lead to dishonor."  
  
"Hmmm," hmmmed Setsuna, bringing everyone's attention to the way that the feline features and fur gradually faded from the boy whose head was still in her lap.  
  
"Why did *that* happen? For that matter what transformed him?" Honey asked from her place in the back, really regretting that she'd missed so much of this.  
  
"Likely he transformed because he saw us fall," answered Setsuna. "It's typical of our heritage to reach into our past lives for strength in extreme moments of stress. And as his Knight identity was cut off, much like my ability to transform to Sailor Pluto, he reached further back and found *that*. Though I should point out that I was not turned into a catgirl. At least until Minako-san bit me."  
  
Minako winced. "Okay, I just lost control there for a couple of minutes. Sorry."  
  
Setsuna inclined her head in acknowledgment. She knew full well there hadn't been anything personal in it. Though being transformed into Setsuna Meow had been... odd. Especially considering what had happened just before. "And the words I heard to call me back to life were:  
"As a Servant Of The Light,  
i ask that things be set aright,  
O' Lonely Soldier - renew, reborn,  
unfairly from you, life was torn,  
thy thread of life from Heaven's Gate,  
if ye be willing - Reincarnate!"  
  
Setsuna moved her NEW staff alongside her and let a gentle, fond, expression creep over her face as she smoothed the boy's hair. Her mind was, as far as she could tell, unchanged. However, she was hardly helpless now. She had watched anime, sometimes years before the release date. Just let the forces of evil threaten her Bas-chan now!  
  
"Waaaa?!" Grey sleepily mumbled, waking up and partially rising before Setsuna tapped a spot on his neck and sent him back down again.  
  
"Pressure point," explained Setsuna to the bristling (literally) Sakura.  
  
"What did you do *that* for?" Ami questioned Setsuna, beginning to bristle herself.  
  
"Since we're all here together, and tomorrow night is your night, Mizuno-san," Setsuna decided to be formal, "we ought to get to know one another."  
  
"But..." Usagi raised a hand, feeling almost as if she were in class.  
  
Setsuna waved off the unspoken point. "We'll get more details from Ten'ou-san, Katsuragi-san, and the others that Shard-san indicated as less trustworthy later."  
  
Maya continued to wonder if maybe she should ask Shard-san for a bite later. She still felt seriously underpowered.  
  
-----  
  
Eudial groaned and considered the scruffy person in the mirror.  
  
That it was *her* made the whole thing more difficult to stomach.  
  
She'd ended up flattened by one of the area attacks thrown by that vampire, and her favorite Chinese dress was now more fit to be used as dishrags.  
  
Her carefully prepared trays (one containing normally spiked drinks, the other containing the love potion spiked drinks) had been blown away and had trickled down the drain. Her plans had likewise been shattered.  
  
Eudial tried to tug on one segment of her dress to try and cover a breast more completely, only to wince at the ripping sound. No, this was *not* how she had envisaged the evening going.  
  
Getting to her car, and trying to ignore the stares, Eudial considered her next step.  
  
Clearly she had to strike before the dating began tomorrow. Once everyone had gotten to know everyone else, the effects of the potion would be more obvious. And the more crowded the environment, the more chance of things going wrong.  
  
What was needed was getting the targets alone, or mainly alone. She needed to be able to strike quickly and decisively, then wait the four minutes for it to take effect, then she could introduce the new target for the victim's affections.  
  
Eudial hoped that by sleeping on it, she could get a better idea of how to proceed.  
  
----  
  
Jared had stormed into the center, calling off his current game. "SOMEONE just drained major spell points from me!"  
  
Celeste frowned, checked readings, then started to laugh.  
  
Serafita began to chuckle a moment later, so much so that he went into SD form without noticing.  
  
Jared blinked. "Uhm..."  
  
"Use your Yggdrasil connection to replenish them," said Celeste, still smirking. "*Someone* just prayed to you for spells that they cast on the fly."  
  
"Who?" Jared calmed himself on seeing their reactions. Maybe this wasn't a disaster after all?  
  
"Grey," snickered Celeste. "Looks like he sent a general Yggdrasil request for allied deities and he got spells from you, Bast, and Toltiir. He just used two Heal spells (Morrigan and Ami), three Reincarnates (Setsuna, Makoto, and Rei), three Life Links (Sakura, Hotaru, and Minako), and a Break Enchantment (Maya Tono) from the god of crossovers."  
  
"And because it *was* from the god of crossovers," smirked Serafita, "there are now crossover elements from Catgirl Nerima, El Hazzard, Gold Digger, and Fist Of The Northstar."  
  
Jared's face fell. Mainly because he couldn't watch. (If he did, he'd want to nudge things.)  
  
On seeing that expression, Celeste and Serafita laughed harder.  
  
----  
  
Minako's tail lashed around in obvious agitation but she seemed to gloat a bit too. "Nyaow. Err. Now. Setsuna-san? Why don't you start since you suggested it?"  
  
Setsuna shrugged then de-transformed from Setsuna Meow to whatever she was normally now. "Okay. One question, then it is the next person's turn."  
  
"How'd you do that?" blurted Ami.   
  
Setsuna smirked slightly. "An effort of will. If you completely calm yourself, you can 'put the cat out' as it were."  
  
Ami immediately started a deep breathing exercise, focussed on a piece of white paper, and detransformed as well.  
  
"Great, Ami-chan. Except now nobody can ask her any other questions until we've all answered one," growled Rei.   
  
"Oh," Ami realized. Still being able to transform back to human was such a relief, so she shrugged off the complaint.  
  
There was a moment of tension among the group. Sakura eventually shifted back, even though the only thing she lost were two ears and a tail.  
  
"Aren't you going to change back, Minako-chan? Oops!" Usagi held her hands over her mouth. Too late of course.  
  
"Baka," declared Rei.  
  
"Actually, I kinda like this," Minako announced. "In fact, I think I'll probably go streak around the neighborhood a bit."  
  
Artemis brightened visibly at the suggestion, until he realized that she just meant that she was going to try running.  
  
Another awkward silence.  
  
Setsuna finally decided to take matters into her own hands before she had to use another pressure point technique. "Ok, Ami-chan, I've got a question for you."  
  
"Me? But I..." Ami began to get very uncomfortable as attention was focussed on her.  
  
"I'm not sure *how* you ended up there, especially after I clearly stated my prior claim well before he appeared." Setsuna's gaze was cold as she regarded the girl perspiring across the table from her. "However, you are clearly considered by Nebula to be his First Fiancee. He is also quite obviously smitten with you. Why do you toy with his affections instead of either returning them or simply turning him away if you don't want him?"  
  
"But I... that is... well... I mean..." Everyone noticed Ami, bit by bit, go catgirl as her calm fell to tiny little pieces under that scrutiny. "...and then there's exams. With exams coming up, 'love' is not in my vocabulary... but then..." ~Smitten with me?! But we're too young. Aren't we? She's mistaken. Right? Or is she serious? What about Ryo-chan?~  
  
"Methinks she protests too much," offered Makoto with a smirk as Ameow began tracing out a doodle on the tabletop with one claw.  
  
"I've got an idea, let's just go ahead and set up a bunch of questions like in one of those date-match things." Honey suggested. "You know: favorite flower, favorite color, dreams for the future, that sort of thing. Then we can sort things out in a reasonable manner. Who the best match is under the 'common ground' you share with him. That's normally the best match, right?"  
  
The response was agreeable, if not enthusiastic. Though there were a number of disagreements about what constituted a good match, the common consensus was that it could wait.   
  
After all, it had been a hectic day.  
  
--------  
  
Sehan, aka Igneous, now Janus, a former Knight who had been tainted by the Dark Kingdom and then purified in this lifetime by Queen Serenity - then pardoned, knew fear. Or, it might be better to say, that he knew Fear.  
  
And Fear was coming down the street towards the building. In slow, unhurried, measured steps. Also, knowing from experience, that Fear was coming this way with the noise of deliberate footsteps, though Fear could walk quieter than a cat when he wanted to. The dim glow of a cigarette marred the stealth of his approach, because as he walked towards the front gate it looked like even the pools of light from the streetlamps seemed to shrink at his approach.  
  
This was the Knight Of Fear. Obsidian. An unschooled barbarian in Queen Serenity's Court.  
  
It had been said (Janus vaguely remembered that it was Queen Serenity who had done the saying) that if you could come up with a dirty and nasty way to do a job, give it to Obsidian and he'd show you that you didn't really have a clue about 'dirty and nasty' comparitively.  
  
When a Knight had gone rogue, though he thought it for the best interests of the Kingdom, it had been Obsidian who had decided to "end" the problem of the rogue Knight.  
  
Sehan, who had been that rogue Knight, remembered little of his previous life. He *did* remember being chased by an impacable, relentless, Knight Of Fear who avoided every trap and ambush. Only to continue forward, step by step. Finally, on an asteroid near Saturn's orbit, Obsidian - also known as the Shade Knight, caught up with Igneous. By that time, Obsidian had gotten very annoyed. Especially after the last ambush had turned out to involve stolen military grade beamers.  
  
It had taken Igneous three days to die.  
  
Barely visible in the shadows near the gate, a figure wearing sunglasses looked up at the window the reborn Igneous was staring from. A hand came up and pointed directly at him, despite there being no lights to reveal his position.  
  
An involuntary whimper forced its way from Janus' throat.   
  
Oh yes, Janus knew fear.  
  
--------  
  
"Worst experience in my life?" Setsuna stared at the table for a moment. "All right. Fine. I'll tell you."  
  
The tone in the former Sailor Pluto's voice was putting a few people on edge. Everyone nonetheless paid strict attention, drawn by the pain they could hear.  
  
"Ten thousand years ago, I knew someone I admired. I wasn't in love, if you must know, but I cared about the fellow. A soldier who had been used and cast away. A Queen because of her pride, and a Princess because she was still young and fickle."  
  
"HEY!" Makoto protested, then quieted under several glares.  
  
Setsuna continued, her eyes locked on something only she could see. "I was still fairly new to guarding the Gate Of Time. There was no readme.txt or Help file, no manual or lessons on the position or the powers involved. I had practiced a number of attacks and abilities before, but there are subtle changes in the fabric of space/time that near the Gate and much of my experience had to be relearned. Of the powers that the Time Staff granted its wielder at the Gate, I spent centuries mastering.  
  
"Unfortunately, less than two decades had gone by when Beryl's little rebellion fell apart and the Royal Ball to celebrate and inform her Senshi was held. Metal'la approached."  
  
"Metal'la?" Honey asked, wondering how much of this her recorder was getting.  
  
"Your associates in the government would call her a Class One Entity, though at the time she was weakened by her travel still and was functionally Class Two. Had she succeeded in absorbing Earth's mana and subverting the Crystal, she would have become a Class 0 Entity. Of course, in so doing, the Earth would have become a barren husk, but Metal'la didn't care about such trifles." Setsuna's eyes flicked to the android briefly before returning to the private vision. She knew darn well that Honey was recording this. She just didn't care as much as when she'd been bound by magical oath to serve Queen and Kingdom. "When you swear an oath to the Moon Queen on that Crystal, it is binding. When she installed me as Sailor Pluto, I was sworn to accept the duty of guarding the Time Gate. Then, when she deemed me ready, she sent me to the Gate and ordered me to have no visitors nor to communicate with the outside. Even knowledge of the Time Gate was to eventually be sealed."  
  
"For two decades I helplessly watched events transpire. I lost track of my Knight of Duty as he travelled about. Then when Metal'la and her Shadow attacked, I watched as the Kingdom fell." Setsuna practically growled. "I could do NOTHING, NOTHING! It took me over three centuries to find enough loopholes that I could interact at all with the outside world! Even then, due to the wording of the Queen's commands, the most I could manage was little nudges - nothing clear and little direct. I saw the Prince of Earth die, I saw the Moon Princess follow him in death! I saw all the Senshi fall and the Shadow get sealed. I saw my Knight fall - his sword shattered and his life draining away to less than ash!   
  
"And I saw the Queen who had failed her kingdom, save its future and send the Senshi and many others of the Kingdom forward in time to be reborn. And I knew that I owed her a last duty, to guide the stream of time till what she had seen could actually occur." Setsuna shook her head. "It has been 10,000 years, but that day is something I remember well. And have no wish to repeat it."  
  
----------  
  
He looked like a cowboy. Sort of. Which contrasted completely with the decor of the ballroom which was now the meeting room that Queen Serenity had set up for the time being.  
  
Black sunglasses. Black baseball cap with an odd symbol on it. Black leather duster. Black cowboy boots met black jeans held up with a black belt. A black shirt.   
  
Queen Serenity detected four weapons concealed on the Knight of Fear, which meant that there was likely another twelve that would turn up if you were to strip him naked and seperate him from his clothes. And likely another three that you'd never be certain *where* he was hiding them. That was something Obsidian had always said. "You can never have too many weapons, and your enemies should never be certain how you're going to snuff them until you do it."  
  
And then there was Obsidian's tendency to make weapons out of whatever was at hand.  
  
Obsidian inclined his head towards Serenity. "My Queen. You're... looking well."  
  
Serenity did not remark on the tiny amount of respect shown. Obsidian was hardly the sort of falcon for a lady to wear on her wrist. He was more the ornery old wolf you sent out when something needed to be killed. "We did not see you die, how did you fall, my Most Dangerous Ghost?"  
  
Again that head inclined. He had been called the Shade or the Ghost Knight due to his tendency to use nonmagical means but apparently disappear and reappear as if he were a ghost. "My Lady, Atlantis made the mistake of siding with Beryl in her rebellion."  
  
"But Atlantis drowned beneath the waves," the Queen said with a frown.  
  
"Exactly." Obsidian smiled and touched a black gloved hand to his throat. "Then I returned to Mars. Unfortunately, with the Crystal seperated and the terraforming failed, even one of your Knights can find breathing difficult."  
  
"We see." The Queen *did* see. It was a pity, she'd privately been betting that someone had to have dropped a planet on him.   
  
"In this life, My Lady, I have been reborn as Morgan Wright, a humble scholar."  
  
The Queen bit back a laugh. Obsidian? A scholar? Not likely.   
  
Obsidian raised an eyebrow at the barely concealed mirth. "My Queen, I am here simply to inform you of my availability. Though Igneous' presence... concerns me. Even if he is pardoned, can he be trusted?"  
  
"He has been purified of taint," said the Queen with a condescending smile, "his loyalty is unquestioned."  
  
Somehow, Obsidian felt that this answer was less than satisfactory. To him, at least. It certainly seemed to satisfy the Queen.  
  
---------  
  
The meeting had broken up due to the hour. Tomorrow was Ami's date with Grey.  
  
Setsuna had come up with both the idea (at least initially) for the calm discussion between the affected parties, as well as the idea of the "dating contest" to see who was most compatible.  
  
Except that neither had worked out as the former Time Senshi had intended, obviously.  
  
Minako Aino leapt to the top of the roof in a single sinuous motion to crouch there momentarily.  
  
She had stood up to the Queen for her beliefs and Sailor V had vanished as a result. She had tried to be heroic anyway, had nearly been killed...  
  
And her fiance had bitten her gently in what was probably the most sensual moment she'd ever experienced. Just the memory caused a flush to start under her fur. Minako leapt down to the street and began running.  
  
What Minako did *not* know was that her mana pool, used to transform her to Sailor Venus and empower her attacks such as the Crescent Beam, had not been removed. It was a birthright, whereas the Senshi identity was granted by the Queen. What would have empowered her heightened speed and strength in Senshi form now found an outlet in her werecheetah form. What would have shot off a "Venus Love Me Chain" had another use now.  
  
What Minako Aino *did* know was that the houses were a blur as she sped past them. She left the street to run along the tops of fences and leap past intersection as Minako- the Blonde Blur!   
  
What Minako further realized was that as a werecheetah, her senses were more acute and her balance and agility were Ridiculously high. Same with reaction speed. However, as she leaned panting against a wall in Shinjuku, she realized her constitution was not at the same level.  
  
It took her a few minutes to catch her breath, then jog at a more sedate pace towards her home. She barely broke 60mph on the way. As she shifted back to walk the final block, Minako Aino considered getting a new sailorsuit. Thanks to her fiance, she had a new powerup to replace the old one, even if there *was* apparently a downside.  
  
Such as having to replace her tennis shoes every couple of hundred miles.   
  
---------  
  
Hotaru Tomoe had waited until everyone else had left, except for that samurai girl, and took a nearly identical sitting position nearby. Her sempai was halfway between them.  
  
After a few moments, Hotaru shifted to a more comfortable position.  
  
"So..." Hotaru began, uncertainly.  
  
"An oath under duress is not binding by modern law or, as I understand it, under the laws of magic." Sakura sat looking demure, stoic, calm. Her eyes were closed and there was no indication that she had moved. Only because she'd been watching had Hotaru been certain the samurai had spoken.  
  
"Uhm..." Hotaru began.  
  
"I had asked that my name be added to the list of fiancees because of an ancient oath. My family is involved in protecting Grey-san." Sakura's voice was as calm and soft as a lone snowflake settling into a field.  
  
"But..." Hotaru nervously began again.  
  
Sakura's voice continued to be cool and emotionless. "How much easier to guard my lord, if I share his pillow?"  
  
"WHAT?!" There was absolutely nothing calm, cool, or emotionless in Hotaru's demeanor.  
  
"Calm yourself," advised Sakura. "This idea is fairly new to me as well. My family are a family of demonslayers, one of three major lines here in Japan. I had a namesake at the turn of the century who married a man named Oogami. However, if one were to track backwards a single generation, one would find the name Saotome as well. Two lines of ancestry point me on this path. And truly, honor and duty are the true path of the samurai."  
  
"You're not reading my mind are you?"  
  
"Just asking myself what questions *I* would be asking in your situation." Sakura said, still not looking.  
  
Hotaru frowned. "Then this is just about duty for you, right?"  
  
"Life is lighter than a feather, duty is heavier than a mountain," quoted Sakura.  
  
Hotaru hid her relief. It sounded like the samurai girl wasn't really interested. Which was what Hotaru considered a good thing. This Sakura was *way* too cute.   
  
--------  
  
"Basa... Grey-chan?" Setsuna considered the boy in the Mizuno living room. She also ignored Ami sticking her head out of her room. Not that Ami was interested, of course.  
  
"Hmmm?" Grey had had a *lot* to think about recently. And why was it that everyone tended to ask him what had happened at the party when he didn't remember it at all? He'd started out OK, there had been that vampire fellow, then - everything was blank until waking up in the shrine office. And nobody would give him any details!  
  
Setsuna handed him her new staff. "Could you give me a couple of turns?"  
  
"What are you talking ab... hah?" Grey watched as Setsuna turned around and lifted her shirt enough to reveal a socket in her back. "i sure don't remember *that* in the Silver Millenium."  
  
"If you would," said Setsuna with a smile. "Purely a precautionary measure."  
  
Ami's door slammed. Must have been the wind.  
  
---------  
  
NOTES: Oh myaow... errr sorry. Oh my!   
Setsuna as Ifurita?! (When she's not Setsunya Meow, that is.) What effect will this have on Crystal Tokyo and the time stream? And will she give a #$*! about it?  
Minako Aino - Sailor Cheetah?!  
Sakura Shinguchi - Samurai Cat(girl)?!  
And what of poor Ami who's on first (what's on second? *slap* okay, better now) for the dating contest? Will she cope or will she simply turn into Ameow Mewzuno and purr a lot?  
How will Queen Serenity cope with all this? Or the Wizard?  
Stay tuned for this and other important questions. (Some of which may be actually answered.)  



	15. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 15, Rewrite

  
A Soldier's Duty, chapter 15  
4th Labor  
"Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest." Mark Twain  
  
In revenge and in love, woman is more barbarous than man. -Friedrich Nietzsche   
  
  
DISCLAIMER: Elements of this story come from other people. Notably Naoko Takeuchi, Bill Hart, Kosuke Fujishima, Go Nagai, and whoever did Nuku Nuku. Rest of it by Metroanime@mindspring.com  
  
-------  
  
Eudial had heard about the computer file and had leapt on the concept. As a gadget oriented girl, she'd taken over much of the computer duties with data entry and had arranged for other things.  
  
The groups had been lured off, having been told that they would be getting interviewed by Grey later. The love potion, poured into a small decanter in the interview rooms and mixed liberally with water. She'd requested they try the salted peanuts, and as it was a hot day, most of the groups had started sipping before she'd even left the room.  
  
Eudial smiled and checked her watch. Four minutes had to pass while the potion's affects built to the critical threshold within the human body. Then this would remove more than half of the other fiancees.   
  
Eudial smirked. ~Three minutes, thirty seconds for the first group. Nothing can go wrong! Any moment now, the others among the fiancees will arrive, enter the exam rooms, and there will be ten less obstacles in my way!~  
  
"Oh hey, Eudial, sorry I'm late, I just heard about it!" Grey said, running by to the first room. "Somebody really should have cleared it with me first you know!"  
  
Eudial blinked. Grey had just gone into the first interview room? (beep beep)  
  
Eudial shut down her timer as Grey emerged from the room, looking puzzled, then entered the next one. And repeated this in each of the five exam rooms they'd reserved at the high school. She figured the most he spent in any single room was three minutes, at most.  
  
Then slowly walked up to Eudial and asked if there was an exit nearby.  
  
Eudial blinked. Not understanding the question. She was about to ask again when she noticed the boy was escaping out a window.  
  
Five seconds later doors started exploding.  
  
-----------  
  
A few minutes previously:  
  
Haruka Ten'ou had sat there with Michiru Kaioh, laughing at the silly pop psych questions on the form they'd been handed. How typical of young high school boy to try these tactics to weed out the incompatibles.  
  
"Oh, here's one," said Michiru, reading to the pacing Haruka. "I think I read this one in a journal. 'You find yourself in a white room with no windows or doors. Name three emotions you are feeling.'"  
  
"How big is the room?" Haruka asked thoughtfully. Answering wrong on a psych test would be... inelegant. Or something like that.  
  
"That's all it says," responded Michiru, rolling her eyes.  
  
"If there are no windows or doors, how did I get in?"  
  
"Haruka..." Michiru let the name trail off she felt strange all of a sudden. It was like...  
  
The door opened and the boy in question walked in. "Good morning."  
  
"It's afternoon. You're supposed to use 'konnichi wa' not 'ohayo'," pointed out Michiru while she studied the boy's face. There was something *different* about him this afternoon. More mature and actually quite cute.  
  
Haruka stopped considering the stupid questions. This boy. There was something *very* different about him. His obviously male qualities were not as annoying as she'd first thought. And Michiru. Michiru was even more attractive than ever this afternoon.  
  
Michiru blinked, her head momentarily whipping between Haruka and Grey. ~Haruka? Haruka has never appeared more... more... studly? Attractive! And the Americajin? How handsome!~  
  
"First question," said Grey, looking at his hastily scribbled notes. "Why should I choose you as fiancee?"  
  
"Because..." Haruka's voice trailed off. What had she been thinking a moment ago?  
  
"We're sophisticated and far more worldly than the others, right Haruka?" Michiru sounded a little unsure of herself, but this was such an obvious question that they had rehearsed this answer.  
  
Haruka felt that click into place. "That's right, we're clearly more sophisticated and worldly than those young girls. We're a much better choice as fiancees."  
  
Grey scratched his head, wondering if he was misunderstanding something. His Japanese was still pretty bad but he *had* discovered that Japanese didn't have plural forms, but something in the way that had been said...  
  
Michiru nodded, Haruka's statement reassuring her. They might still have to kill him, but there was no reason they couldn't get to know each other better.  
  
"I thought you two were, ah, lovers? You know, girls that, uhm, love other girls." Grey *really* wondered where this conversation was going, but he *had* been curious. Unsurprisingly, he hadn't found a word for 'lesbian' in his phrasebooks.  
  
Haruka considered this then turned to Michiru.  
  
"Uhm, you two is OK?" Grey discovered that even with Nebula gone, he had a danger sense going off all of a sudden.  
  
"Michiru!" "Haruka!" *GLOMP!*   
  
Grey was nervous about the situation, especially considering what was going on *now*. Being a fifteen year old boy without a lot of self confidence and a libido *not* set on Extreme he naturally fled.  
  
His hopes that something weird was *not* going on dashed on entering the next room.  
  
Nuku Nuku looked up at him, from where she'd been doodling on the questionnaire. Her ear-sensors shot up and quivered. "..."  
  
"Oh, Nuku-chan. Uhm, you not believe what going on next door." Grey tried to laugh. Also tried to get the vision out of his head, and imagination involved in some other activity than the stuff occurring in Room #1.  
  
Nuku nodded. People could be weird sometimes. She wouldn't be at all surprised if she was unable to believe what was going on next door.  
  
"Uhm," Grey reached for the questionnaire. "Oh good, it not in kanji." Privately he admitted that it didn't help much. Especially with Nuku Nuku's handwriting.  
  
Nuku Nuku nodded again, studying the boy. He sure had been handsome when he was a catboy.  
  
"Uhm, Nuku-san?" Grey spent a moment staring at the odd protrubrances framing the girl's head. "You're a cyborg, I'm told."  
  
Nuku nodded, hoping it wouldn't be a problem.  
  
"That's kinda cool," said Grey, thinking about reruns of the Six Million Dollar Man, Bionic Woman, and similar series he'd seen on reruns.  
  
Nuku Nuku nodded some more, adding a meow for effect. It *was* kind of cool.  
  
"So, why you want marry me? It not just be family honor, yes?" Grey still couldn't believe all this fuss about family honor. He couldn't see what else there was about him to attract anyone, and he *sure* hadn't gotten any flicker of interest back home.  
  
Nuku paused in thought. Family honor wasn't the only reason she wanted to be engaged? She didn't completely understand this marriage/engagement thing, just that it had something to do with making kittens. Nuku brightened. That meant if she was engaged to Grey-san, it was because she wanted to make kittens with him!  
  
"Oops, seeyalater gottarun, besuretofillthe restofthat form out. bye!" *THWAM!* Seeing Nuku's change of expression (and picturing for some reason a cat about to pounce on a mouse) Grey went straight to the next room. He only knew that five of the fiancees were supposed to be interviewed by him. Which ones, he had no idea. He'd heard this had been Setsuna's idea, modified by Honey, so it should be okay - it just sounded weird.  
  
The next room's occupant was perfectly acceptable. He'd met Honey Kisaragi only a couple of times, but she'd struck him as being solid and reliable. This would be simple, besides, he'd wanted to speak with her anyway. Despite that Ami was cuter, and that Honey was more top heavy than he preferred, there was something definitely attractive about the girl. She also looked half-asleep.  
  
"So, Honey-san," began Grey, hoping that neither of the occupants of the first two rooms would look here.   
  
"Honey-chan," corrected Honey Kisaragi, massaging her head as if she suddenly had a headache. "I'm your fiancee, a certain amount of familiarity is dictated..."  
  
--------  
  
Honey Kisaragi was, unlike the cyborg Nuku Nuku, a machine at the core. Organic, each part built in form and function as duplicate of a human body, but a machine nonetheless. A Turing capable AI who could function as a sweet protective woman. Her mind was composed of a gestalt of human templates recorded and edited by her "father."  
  
Nuku and Honey *did* share some features. They could eat and drink normally, for the most part. Their artificial skin and artificial tissues performed much the same functions as their human equivelant. In Nuku's case, the brain and spinal column that remained of her original form were nourished by those artificial systems. Honey had no such purely organic systems, though her nanites broke minerals up to effect internal repairs in similar manner to human digestion.  
  
Honey could change her surface appearance with little effort, her internal mechanisms sufficient that odd things like hair color and style could be altered as long as she had scanned the pattern. Even her uppermost skin layer could be altered in hue and texture at need. Not nearly as strong as Nuku, nor as fast or durable. But much more versatile.  
  
The Love Potion Of Obsession that Eudial had used wasn't able to work as planned. There were enough similarities in Nuku Nuku to a normal human that it had been able to affect the catgirl cyborg to some degree. However Honey Kisaragi was completely different. The magical virus was unable to find a template for "ideal mate" and erase it. The feelings of giddiness and love were reacted to by programs and feedback mechanisms meant to keep everything running smoothly. The rebuilding of her self-image, likewise mainly foiled.  
  
In the brief period the Potion was active, it managed a few minor file corruptions, then expired in a brief flash of magical energy.  
  
All of which served a single purpose.   
  
Honey Kisaragi looked up at Greylle Shard and *knew* what was going on. She was in a simulated timeline, fighting some villain in a VR world, but the real task before Grey was to be that he would choose a single fiancee among the group of well wishers. She herself was one, a version of Honey Kisaragi who had defeated Panther Zora for the final time with this boy's help. Without his Teleport Block, Zora would have escaped yet again.  
  
She owed him. And had followed him when their paths had crossed again, intent on finding a way to pay him back. And had found something that had rocked even *her* world.  
  
There was Good and Evil. Beyond the scales of her world, her vs Panther Zora and whatever other monster-of-the-week beckoned. And there were those who were convinced they were Good, and who still spread Evil, and those who confused the two, and more who insisted that there really was neither Good nor Evil - merely conflicting viewpoints.  
  
She'd joined the number of fiancees then, at first seeing it merely as a way to pay the boy back. Even though he'd been an incubus the first time they'd met, then a dragon playing the part of some martial artist, he'd attracted a few followers at the time. Then other things came to her attention.  
  
They had things in common. Duty, compassion, doing the right thing in a world that rarely recognized it unless that recognition was posthumous. She'd been approached too. Valkyrie training, if she wanted it. New equipment, the chance to take part in a battle of Good Vs Evil on a scale that embraced not only worlds and galaxies, but universes. And more. Children. If she actually embraced this reluctant warrior, she'd be able to do more than protect children. She'd be able to be a mother.   
  
Honey looked at her ignorant fiancee. If she betrayed her knowledge of this scenario, she'd be pulled out. If she didn't, she'd be guilty of pulling one over on her allies. Well, she'd done it before.   
  
Grey wasn't sure what Honey's expression said, other than tears brimming in her eyes. "Uhm, sorry, Honey-chan. I'll come back later when you're feeling better."  
  
Honey nodded and turned back to the questionnaire, questioning herself whether she wanted to win this contest. She could possibly return to her homeplane, memories wiped of her little adventure, and be completely content there. But a family of her own...  
  
--------  
  
Rei awoke from a pleasant doze, realizing that she'd drifted off somehow while considering the possible psychological ramifications of Silly Question #18. ("If you could be stranded on a desert island, what color would the beach be?") (Well, OK, Rei wasn't using phrases like 'psychological ramifications' - she was just worrying about what might be revealed.)  
  
"Ah, excuse me, Hino-san, if you want to go back sleep then me speak later you with."  
  
Rei growled a little under her breath. Ami still hadn't taught proper sentence structure to Grey had she? Though the boy sounded stressed out.  
  
Rei looked up.  
  
She was dimly aware of the drifting sakura petals in the foreground, floral background and rosy light all around them. She was not at all aware that Eudial had planned for Usagi to be in the room, Usagi's usual tardiness actually working in her favor for once.  
  
Rei's eyes were staring and shimmering with unshed tears. "Be- beautiful."  
  
"Hah?" Grey wondered if it were the heat. Though he was still getting a curve ball every time he thought he'd figured out something about the Japanese. Why the heck did you spell "wa" as "wa" except when you were identifying yourself, and then you spelled it "ma"?! And Usagi complained about English!  
  
The shrine maiden cleared her throat. She'd run here after school, had been thirsty, had drank the provided water (which had been deliciously cool) and had started filling out her paperwork. Odd that she still felt all hot and prickly, even after her nap. "Uhm, yes, Shard-san. I'm just filling out this paperwork. Very busy. Do you need something?"  
  
"Uhm, no. Excuse me."  
  
Rei nodded. She would certainly excuse him. He was a foreigner after all. He could not be expected to understand the intricacies of being Japanese. "If you intend to give something to Ami for White Day, you'd better get it before your date tonight."  
  
"White Day?" Grey blinked. They had days named after colors?  
  
"You should ask Minako. She speaks English." After a moment, Rei relented and explained that White Day was a Japanese day marking one month after Valentine's Day. On Valentine's Day, a girl who was interested in a boy gave him chocolate. One month later on White Day, if the boy were also interested in the girl, the boy gave the girl something colored white to indicate that interest. Often the girl would make a number of statements indicating she had simply found some leftover chocolate or she was on a diet, something to indicate that even though it was chocolate on Valentine's Day - it wasn't really *that* - even though it *was*. Then the girl was basically stuck waiting anxiously for that month to see if the boy responded appropriately and not merely politely.  
  
Grey scratched his head, trying to make sense of both Rei's Japanese and the custom. He'd missed Valentine's Day, so nobody had given him chocolate. Now it was White Day and he had to buy something white for a girl that was interesting to him? Dang, he needed to get shopping. He didn't want to insult anyone! "Okay. Well, thank you for being so nice to me, Rei-chan."  
  
The blush racing up from Rei's neckline caused her throat to tighten. Yes, she *was* nice to him, wasn't she? But 'Rei-chan'?! He was so forward! He must really like her.  
  
The American transfer student puzzled over Rei's reaction. Why was she twiddling her fingers like that? Well, it *was* a hot day and these little cubicle rooms were kind of stuffy. With a quick glance at his phrasebook, Grey decided he'd better check that last room. "Well, Rei. These rooms kinda small are. Making you hot i am. See you a bit later." He didn't realize that he'd used the wrong word for hot and was actually looking at one of the books the nurses at the hospital had gotten him. ("Making Out In Japanese")  
  
Rei gasped. Not only because once again one of her Grey-chan's phrasebooks had proven to have downright inaccurate portions, but because he had used the phrase for sexual desire. Rei twitched. Rei twitched a lot. The questionnaire was completely forgotten as Rei struggled with an internal battle.  
  
-------  
  
She looked up as Grey-san entered the room. Nothing unusual. "Ah, Grey-san."  
  
"Ah, Makoto? What you do here?" Why was she drooling? It *had* to be some Japanese thing.  
  
"I'm sorry I'm late," Ami's voice came from the doorway. "Uhm, did I miss anything?"  
  
"...sempai..." Makoto said, still staring at Grey.   
  
"Tell you what Ami, you cram school soon." Grey said, looking at his breathless fiancee, then back to Makoto. "Why you not go cram school now? There much strange going on and i think not easy find out what."  
  
Makoto idly wondered what was going on that was strange. Other than she'd just noticed that Grey-san looked *just* *like* her sempai!  
  
"It not usual Mako-chan for drool, is it?"  
  
Ami firmed her decision to teach her fiancee sentence structure. He was getting better. Until he started getting stressed at least. Then his language skills "went in the toilet" as the Americans said. ~Hmmm. It is unusual for Makoto to look that way, unless there were a cute guy around. Must have just been here and then left before I arrived.~  
  
"Well, Ami-chan, you Doctor-trainee. Maybe you should check her? Fever, maybe?" Grey was wondering what exactly was going around. Maybe it was the air in the building?  
  
Ami checked. Then noticed the way Makoto was watching Grey. "Oh dear. She does feel feverish. But she acts like this around guys she thinks are cute..." Ami's voice trailed off. She didn't want to connect the two concepts.  
  
"She turn red and eyes glaze like that? If she really like guy, what she do?" Grey considered Makoto's expression, the behavior in two rooms, and their original meeting. "Beat them up and rip their clothes off?"  
  
Makoto grinned and shrugged aside Ami's hands. Sounded good to her.  
  
----------  
  
Return to the present:  
  
FIVE doors exploded off their hinges. Two managed to hit Eudial and knock her to the floor. Underneath them.  
  
"Ouch," mumbled Eudial.  
  
*LEAP!* *THUD!* "owie"  
  
Haruka and Michiru leapt to the top of the small pile of doors. "We can't let him get away, Michiru! We're too close to victory!"  
  
The two leapt off, considering whether as shift to Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune would be advisable.  
  
*TRAMPLE!*  
  
"Sempai?! Sempai? Sempai! Come back for your Mako-chan!"  
  
"Mako-chan?" Ami ran over the small pile of broken doors and refuse as she followed Makoto, wondering again what was going on. She'd grabbed the small bottle of water because, well, it *was* a hot day.  
  
*THWAM!* "ow"  
  
Nuku Nuku leapt to the top of the small pile of garbage, sniffed the air, then leapt out the window to follow everyone else.  
  
A wild eyed shrine priestess stepped on something and almost lost one of her high heels, but quickly took after Nuku and the others.  
  
Honey wandered out, noticed that everyone else had stepped on Eudial, and figured why should she buck fate? She stepped on the broken doors covering the witch, went back into the room, and tipped a bottle of the "water" she suspected responsible for this ordeal so that it would leak down. Then added a nice little picture of Grey-san where Eudial would be sure to see it. "What's good for the goose, after all," said Honey in a bare whisper before running out to join the crowd. They might need her for damage control, if worse came to worse.  
  
-----------  
  
*Zoom!*  
  
Maya Tono blinked and considered. That was her fiancee, Grey-san, running *out* of the building with a fairly puzzled if panicked look.  
  
"There he goes!" "We'll get him!"  
  
Maya blinked. There went those two odd girls. Maybe this was the assassination attempt Rei had thrown out as a possibility? Maya immediately forgot about being summoned to room #4 and started giving chase.  
  
She was passed by Nuku san?  
  
----------  
  
Morrigan, who was definitely not a morning person, had gotten up after noon. Then gotten a nap about three.  
  
She was rather surprised to see the procession going down the street.  
  
In the lead, having grabbed a stray bicycle that was a couple of sizes too small, was Grey.  
  
He was followed closely by those two odd girls who had struck Morrigan as being a pair of mercenaries. After that came the catgirl Nuku, then the little drummer girl, then the shrine maiden. Morrigan admired the girl's ability to run at those speeds in high heels. Then was that tall girl, Makoto, followed by the bookworm, followed by that android girl, followed by Usagi, followed by reporters, followed by the "No Gaijin Brides" group that protested the whole concept of mixed marriages - particularly where national treasures like Ami Mizuno were concerned.  
  
As she watched, groups of Japanese citizens joined the chase simply because it was a long involved chase sequence and they didn't want to feel left out. Japanese seemed to want to do *everything* in large groups.  
  
There was Sakura Shinguchi getting involved, riding a bicycle and catching up. There was that girl Eudial who smelled of black magic, driving a car and attempting to get ahead of everyone else.  
  
Morrigan hovered momentarily in midair. "And he wondered what about all this was sufficiently odd that it would attract *my* attention? Heh!"  
  
With that, Morrigan Aenslad threw her own flight into the pattern.  
  
---------  
  
At some point, Grey (who could not ever remember having seen a Takahashi anime) found himself glancing back and determining that he was at the very forefront of the sort of chase sequence one would expect in an old Buster Keaton serial or perhaps at the end of Benny Hill.  
  
Unfortunately, looking backwards while going forwards is not always a safe move.  
  
*THWAM!*  
  
Grey's eyes widened as he found his borrowed bicycle's front tire dropping through a storm drain grating. As the front end of the vehicle went down and his forward momentum halted, the seat moved up and translated his momentum to a slightly different direction.  
  
"WAAAAGGHHHH!" While flipping end over end in the air, Grey had enough time to realize that his time in Japan had definitely some ups and downs. He'd have never believed prior to his coming here that being pursued by a fair number of attractive girls would be one of the "downs."  
  
*THWASH!*  
  
Slamming into the top of a police car was definitely one of the "downs" as well. Sliding off the car and heading for the street wasn't a good thing either. Waitaminute. What were those orange street flags...  
  
*WHOOSH!*  
  
Street repairs. They had a section of road removed while they were working on pipes or something. In a way it was a pity he was facing up as he was going down, he was a little curious as to what he'd be landing on.   
  
*CRASH!*  
  
Wedged into the trench, looking up at the walls of dirt, Grey wondered exactly what he had done in some previous life to deserve this sort of thing.  
  
There came the sound of a police car being struck by Eudial's "mini".  
  
The earthen walls began to crumble as the front wheels of the police car ledged into the trench.  
  
Grey frowned. He was stuck. Panicking wouldn't help. It just didn't seem too bad. After all, Nebula had died. It took a thousand years but he got better. Why couldn't Grey do the same?  
  
He just wished he could have met Ami under better circumstances. Or Minako. Or Setsuna. Or... heck *any* of them. Just not all at once, thank you.  
  
*ZOOOM!*  
  
~Well, now, *this* is unexpected.~  
  
---------  
  
Everyone stared into the collapsing trench, the policecar letting out a plaintive whoop as it fell within.  
  
"Grey-chan?" Ami stepped forward, staring at where she could easily calculate her fiancee's flight trajectory ending.  
  
Even the police officer, okonomiyaki forgotten for the moment, stopped writing up Eudial.  
  
"Waaaaaaah," began Usagi.  
  
A silhouette dramatically posed on a rooftop.  
  
"Where injustice and trouble prevail,  
Where criminals and delinquents gather,  
The former Sailor V shows her mask!  
Sailor Cheetah! Miya!  
Warm and fuzzy beautiful warrior of  
lotsa cuddling and free catnip!"  
  
Things had gotten silent with the presumed death of Grey. Things had gotten even more quiet as the catgirl chained sentai poses together.  
  
"*THAT* is Sailor V?!" One newshound exclaimed. Sailor V was cute, a leggy blonde who didn't look particularly dangerous. Sailor Cheetah was...  
  
Morrigan frowned, unused to being upstaged in the category of Raw Sexiness.  
  
Sailor Cheetah, aka Minako Aino, adjusted her mask, then lifted Grey and put him over a shoulder.  
  
He made a guess at what his line was supposed to be. "Sailor Cheetah-chan! How i ever repay you is!"  
  
Sailor Cheetah considered all the cameras for a moment. "With great power comes great rewards!"  
  
"That's 'responsibilities'," muttered a number of girls watching this, though relieved that the boy had been rescued.  
  
Sailor Cheetah posed again, Grey beginning to struggle as he realized that he wasn't being let go. She then said something that sounded suspiciously like "onward to the love hotel!" *Zoom!*  
  
Things again went completely still for several heartbeats.  
  
Then came screams, cellphone calls, and a continuation of the chase scene.  
  
--------  
  
Kids saw him coming. One started whistling Piccolo's theme from "Dragonball Z". Another was more familiar with Western music and had the lyrics from "Bad to the Bone" echoing in his head.  
  
Morgan Wright, aka Obsidian, the Knight Of Fear, walked the streets of Tokyo.  
  
Okay, he wasn't that tall. He wasn't that muscular. He wasn't carrying a visible weapon.  
  
He *was* carrying a major attitude.  
  
"Where is Furinkan High School... oh dear." Ryoga Hibiki backed away. He liked danger as much as the next crazed ridiculously powerful martial artist. He knew from just a look though, this black clad guy not only wasn't on the same page as him, he was in a whole different section of the library. The section that had all the dark shadows and books whose titles seemed to  
squirm around in their leather bindings.  
  
The Shade Knight inclined his head briefly towards the Lost Boy as he walked past.  
  
A small group of Japanese bikers fell silent at his approach. Then, feeling his authority would be undermined if he didn't do something (stupid and reckless) about the scary fellow, the leader attacked Morgan. His men followed suit.  
  
Obsidian stopped walking as the pack surrounded him and moved in. Then he did something that further terrified the already frightened more observant members of the pack.  
  
The Knight Of Fear smiled.  
  
------  
  
"Uhm, Minako-chan?"  
  
"Grey-chan?"  
  
"i'm going to get motion sick if you continue to do those leaping roll thingies."  
  
"oh..." Minako slowed. "Well, I guess we lost them."  
  
Grey groaned in relief. The speed wasn't so bad. It was the rollercoaster ride with all the twists and turns and spins and... he wouldn't have eaten that shrimp roll after school if he'd known he was going on this trip. "Yeah, i think they kinda got left behind when you ran through that house then did that rooftop leap, then dove through that love hotel."  
  
"Actually, I'd meant to stop there," confessed Minako.  
  
"Uhm, not that i don't like you, Minako-chan, but..." Grey started looking embarassed, though as he was still pinned to the girl's shoulder it was hard for her to tell. Speaking of which. "Can you please put me down now?"  
  
Minako seemed to hesitate briefly before she did so. "Grey-chan. I died once in the fight with Beryl. Sailor Venus died by edict of the Queen. I died again when fighting the vampire. I don't want to die again before I've sampled what there is of *life*!"  
  
The American winced. "Okay, i can see your point. But you're only sixteen. i'm only fifteen!"  
  
"Exactly," responded the furry girl. "Oh, and better call me Mineko or Sailor Cheetah when I'm like this. You said yourself. I'm sixteen. And I've died twice. Usagi brought me back once, and you've brought me back the last time."  
  
"i don't remember anything about the vampire fight," complained Grey.  
  
"...besides, what's that bad about a massage?"  
  
Grey stopped. "Massage?"  
  
"Yeah. I saw that book you were reading earlier." Mineko grinned, showing sharp fangs.  
  
"'Shiatsu & Massage For The Beginner'?" Grey blinked. Well, he *had* wanted to learn this sort of thing. He thought it had all sorts of possibilities for use. And he'd seen that sad wince in Ami's eyes and concluded that she got tension headaches. "Well, if that's all."  
  
"What did you think I meant?" Mineko asked, projecting innocence.  
  
Grey felt relief. Also disappointment. Then ashamed because he was disappointed. Finally settled for relieved. "Oh well. In that case, let's go." He *did* owe her, after all.  
  
When his back was turned, Mineko pumped a fist and gave a "V" sign. Then hurried up to get her fiance to the right place.  
  
---------  
  
Parking his new motorcycle, Morgan Wright checked the sign. "Hikawa Shrine?"  
  
Eyes quickly checked the shadows and facilities. Three ninja, who were not in plain sight but were detectable as being in exactly the sort of places that the Knight himself would have chosen to lurk in. One girl, that samurai chick, was apparently sweeping the steps.  
  
Other than a twinge of katana-envy, Morgan paid little attention to the samurai. In a fair fight, she'd probably be a challenge. Of course, he rarely fought fair.  
  
Seeing she was eyeing him uncertainly, Morgan jerked a thumb briefly at himself. "Friend of Grey. Ally. No speakee Japanesee. Much."  
  
That brought a nod in return, though she wasn't lowering her guard. Good for her. The presence of the ninja and some signboard with odds posted and girls' pictures attached (some of the girls he'd met last night) confirmed that this was the right place.  
  
Then, with those eyes watching him, Morgan went down and retrieved the motorcycle. He grunted a bit getting it up the stairs, but he was used to living in areas of America where the prevailing philosophy was "if it ain't nailed down it's mine, and anything I can pry up - ain't nailed down."  
  
Not that anyone stole from him.  
  
Twice, at least.  
  
-------  
  
There was a temporary truce. The group snuck closer, following the trail.  
  
"Is this the room?" Makoto whispered.  
  
Ami checked her computer again and replied just as softly. "Yes."  
  
"OOOOooooooOOOOO! Yes! Yes! Right there!"  
  
Minako's voice coming through the door caused several reactions.  
  
Setsuna turned her head and supressed a laugh. Ami's fur popped up as she got depressed, turning her blue in more than one sense. Rei turned red. Makoto's eyes glittered green with envy.  
  
"Slowly now. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Oh YEAH."  
  
Many of the young girls looked completely scandalized and outraged.  
  
"It's too late," mumbled Ami. Then noticed Setsuna almost falling over from the effort of suppressing laughter. Which immediately clicked as *terribly* OOC. If...  
  
"Up a little, and deeper now," Minako's voice practically purred.  
  
"AAAAAGHHHHH!" The door crashed open as several girls felt this intolerable. They would have to punish these two for...  
  
Grey looked up from where he was standing next to the reclined Minako (back in human form, except for a tail that had slipped out). "Oh. Did someone else want to go next?"  
  
"AAGHHHHHH! YOU PERVERT!" *WHAM!*  
  
Everyone looked at where Makoto had decked Grey.  
  
"ouch" said Grey from his position on the floor.  
  
Makoto's mind started playing catchup. Grey had all his clothes on. Minako was wearing a towel, mainly, and lying facedown on the bed while a book was opened in front of her.  
  
Minako reared back. "Guys? Wait your turn, will ya!"  
  
Ami glanced at the book, wondering about that odd feeling of relief. "Massage therapy?"  
  
Groans and moans followed, as well as a few speculative gleams.  
  
The token male at this gathering decided not to bother getting up right now. Or maybe he was just still seeing stars. "-That's it. i'm going back to America. Girls just ignore me there. They don't generally... on second thought, maybe they do. Maybe i should just become a monk.-"  
  
Speculative gleams were replaced by winces.  
  
-------  
  
Morgan parked his motorcycle, and ignored those gathering behind him.  
  
"That's MY bike," yelled the leader of the gang, now wearing bandages on various portions of his anatomy and with an eye blackened and swelling shut.  
  
The Knight didn't look at them. "Spoils of war."  
  
"You got lucky," said the leader. "I brought insurance this time."  
  
"You pull that gun, and I'll feed it to you." Morgan clucked over the dirty air filter as he checked his new acquisition more thoroughly. "Man, how many years has it been since you changed the filters?"  
  
Shinde hesitated, but pulled the gun anyway. "I'd like to see you try and stop me."  
  
Morgan whirled, his arm sweeping out briefly as he did so. Then straightened his duster, and started walking forward.   
  
"You asked for it!" The Biker held the revolver as if it were a cross to keep a vampire away. Then blinked. There was something stuck in the barrel of his gun? A knife wedged into the muzzle? He pulled the trigger anyway, figuring it would clear the barrel.  
  
*BLAM!*  
  
There's a reason in most Westerns, that if the barrel is plugged, the villain does not try to shoot with that particular gun.   
  
---------  
  
"Hmmm." Serafita flitted about. "You missed one."  
  
Celeste brought up the file. "Only about 10% was used to create the merged Aspect that's now Grey's powerup."  
  
NAME OF ASPECT: Noa  
REALITY ORIGIN: Pokemon Timeline 024107, Stone City  
OCCUPATION: Pokemon Tamer, Specialist in cute pokemon such as Eevee and Vulpix. At time of death had six pokemon: Eevee, Ponyta, Vulpix, Caterpie, Clefairy, and Totodile.  
  
"At time of death?" Serafita noted. "He has worse luck in a female lifetime?"  
  
"Sometimes," agreed Celeste.  
  
DREAM: To be a major rock and pop musician.  
SPECIAL SKILLS: guitar playing, knowledge of pokemon and their abilities, cooking.  
SPECIAL DISADVANTAGES: even her best friends described her as a ditz outside of her special skills. Nice, but still a ditz.  
OTHER NOTES: Deceased. Killed by Butch & Cassidy of Team Rocket during a theft of her pokemon.  
  
"I think all that copied over were the musical skills," said Celeste, crossing her fingers.   
  
"We can hope," said Serafita. "Hey, what's with this name in the betting pools? She's not in the simulation, not any more at least. And she's not interested."  
  
"According to Freya, she *is* still interested despite that love arrow being dispelled awhile back." Celeste tweaked controls. "Actually, there's some bets that she'll get tired of the whole thing, insert herself into the scenario, and proceed to rock his world. Especially since Susano-ou can't get used to the Valkyrie-trained, newly assertive, version."  
  
Serafita shrugged and went back to the part that interested him. "Nice character design."  
  
---------  
  
Grey excused himself and went shopping. Even though he now had serious doubts about staying in Japan.  
  
He had several fiancees he liked. Nebula had been fond of a few of them himself. They weren't as attracted to *him* obviously. Only Minako and Setsuna seemed really interested.  
  
Still, he was a stubborn cuss, and determined to give the best showing he could. Now he needed to respect their customs.  
  
It took awhile, but he thought he had the ideal gifts (at least what he could manage within his budget) for the ones he was most interested in/grateful to.  
  
He had trouble with the translations, but he *thought* the gifts were suitable. They were predominantly white after all, and it was 'White Day' so it ought to be OK.  
  
There were some weird looks directed his way, and people pointing and whispering, so maybe this wasn't going on quite as well as he'd hoped. Just smile back and act confident, faking it with as much sincerity as he could scrape together.   
  
A few of the one group he'd dubbed the "Keepers of Genetic Purity" were gathering to protest his dating Ami. They didn't have a set uniform, but the various expressions and shouted comments were enough indication.  
  
Grey clutched his bags of purchases, wondering what the heck he was going to do if it crossed the line into violence.  
  
Doing his best to ignore them, Grey turned and started walking away. The little muscles along his spine started twitching, and there was some stomach upset, but he was hoping this would be the most effective way of getting out of a bad situation. Maybe they wouldn't try anything.  
  
The crowd gathered, then a stone was thrown that struck Grey in the head. The reaction caused the protesters to consider backing off.  
  
Grey was momentarily stunned, and metamorphosed for several seconds. A golden winged figure who looked about as if uncertain where he was. The glow intensified, a single thought remaining that the gifts must be protected and the feeling that these gifts *must* somehow make up for his lack of sterling qualities.  
  
The glow faded again, leaving a nervous boy and a crowd that was wondering if they'd imagined the whole thing. Maybe a repeat of the experiment was needed.  
  
He'd almost made it to the shrine when rocks started getting thrown.  
  
The crowd, having whipped themselves up to deal with this enemy of all women, this foreigner who would dare sully the precious cream of Japanese girlhood, this pint-sized Casanova, surged forward to the attack.  
  
Several throwing darts imbedded themselves in the cement between the crowd and the boy, Kasumi not being quite the casual killer that Ayane could be.  
  
The mob was still moving forward anyway when HE stepped out.  
  
People can be intelligent, mature, and reasonable. A mob, which combines a pack instinct with the lowest common denominators of human behavior, lacks these qualities. Hence a group of unarmed if outraged civilians ignoring the warning from the throwing knives.  
  
The blond youth snugging his fingerless, metal-knuckled, black leather gloves into place somehow cut straight down to the animal instinct portion of the mob. Like the yellow-and-black of certain venomous insects, there was something basic about the boy that screamed "Danger" in loud block letters. Something that spoke not only of death (which was a concept that most of the crowd, being teenagers, were convinced wouldn't affect them personally anyway), but of lots and lots and lots of pain.  
  
The lead youths came to a halt and then stumbled as the ones behind them briefly pushed forward.  
  
And then the gaijin did something. Something so horrible and terrible that those viewing it would have it haunt them for months thereafter.  
  
With one finger, Morgan Wright slid his sunglasses down so that he could look at them directly.  
  
At the sight of those horrible horrible glacial blue eyes upon them, staring deep into the very depths of their soul, and silently promising that they would get hurt so badly that playing tag with trains would be less painful, several of the youths immediately experienced a need to change underwear.  
  
Morgan smirked as the mob dispersed. "Wimps," he pronounced.   
  
--------  
  
Grey had gone straight from the temple (after a quick handing of gifts to Rei, Minako, and Hotaru as well as storage of the remainder of the gifts) to where he was supposed to meet Ami.  
  
Ami was sitting on the stairs in front of her apartment building, wearing a peasant blouse, short skirt and hiking boots. This last caused Grey some puzzlement, as he was hoping to get a clue from Ami as to where she wanted to go. Hiking? Walking somewhere far away? Well, the Japanese *did* seem to do a lot of walking, just to get to the various train stations. But those shoes weren't walking shoes, like were typically worn to and from school. And she looked pensive?  
  
This did not bode well. Maybe the gift would help.  
  
"-Ami-chan, here's a gift for you. i'm sorry, it was a rush, but i hope you like it!-"  
  
Ami took the gift and stared at it.  
  
Grey immediately had that "oh crap i screwed up" sensation.  
  
Ami continued to stare at the book.  
  
"-It's a study guide for the high school exams.-" Grey added, hoping that the bookstore hadn't exchanged it for another book. One of those "let's play a trick on the dumb gaijin" sort of things.  
  
Ami's lower lip trembled ever so slightly.  
  
Grey noticed and started mentally kicking himself. Though he still hadn't a clue *how*, it was obvious it was SNAFU (to borrow the military term). Maybe giving a book for White Day had some horrible significance known only to the Japanese?  
  
"Shard-san," began Ami.  
  
Grey noticed that he was back to being 'Shard-san' and winced.  
  
"Shard-san, what do you think is left of me if you took away studying?"  
  
The American started puzzling that out in his still "had holes in it large enough to drive a Federation Warp-shuttle through them" Japanese. Trying to put the panic off to the side for now. "-Uhm.-"  
  
"I'm sorry, I've asked you a strange question."  
  
The fifteen year old was still trying to figure out the question. ~Obenkyo is 'study' right? And 'atashi' refers to herself. Nani ga means 'what is'. What was the rest of that?!~ "-Since this is obviously an important question, can you try that in English?-"  
  
"My mother is a doctor, and I decided to become a doctor when I was very young."  
  
~AUGHHHHH!~ "Dozo, Ami-chan, mo ichido yukuri kudasai." (Please repeat this slower, Ami-chan.)   
  
Ami (mercifully in English) continued. "-When person has real dream, they become radiant, unlike me. Usagi, for sample, have many dream. So I am uncertain about I about being Doctor.-"  
  
Grey sat down next to her. "-Uhm, Ami-chan. We're teenagers. We're *supposed* to question who we are and what we're about. We're supposed to be discovering who we really are as we put away the childish things of youth or however that quote goes.-"  
  
Ami looked up, slightly confused. ~Was that supposed to be comforting, a sincere assessment, or merely parroting some Americajin philosopher?~  
  
Seeing confusion, and that he hadn't helped, Grey tried again. "-Ami, you are cute and attractive, and very intelligent. You are already radiant, i think. You could do or be whatever you set your mind to. But i do not know you well enough to advise you in this.-"  
  
Somewhere during this reply, Ami grew more thoughtful. ~Setsuna-san said that he's 'smitten' with me. Does this mean that he sees me as something other than a 'study-freak'? He says I'm cute? Then this means... but exams are coming up. On the other hand, isn't that focus only on studying the reason for my reputation as a 'no fun Ami only wants to study' person? But then...~  
  
Wincing at the expression on Ami's face, Grey decided to see if he could fit the other foot in his mouth as well. "-Ami-chan. i've watched you for several days now. You're a beautiful princess. If you decide to continue and become a doctor, you will become a great doctor.-"  
  
The girl continued to look off in the distance as her thoughts continued in a spiral.  
  
With a wince towards thoughts of his budget, Grey decided maybe a distraction would be best. "-Well, doctor, you're suffering from teenage anxiety with a sideorder of angst. i prescribe that you accompany me to your apartment, we fix a couple of quick sandwiches, and then we plot out the rest of our evening. You are to have a good time tonight with no studying.-"  
  
Ami cocked her head, glancing briefly to the sides to notice what seemed to be Minako ducking out of sight around a corner. "Yes. That sounds reasonable, but I have plans already for our... date. Shall we go?"  
  
While that had been too fast for him to completely grasp, Grey caught the slightly more upbeat mood and the 'ikimasho' at the end. He nodded, stood and held out his hand for Ami.  
  
Naturally, she missed that gesture. Which caused Minako to groan.  
  
She didn't want Ami to get hurt, after all. She was a friend.  
  
---------  
  
Rei grumbled and tossed her "gift" onto her bed. Silly Americajin. He obviously had *no* clue as to Japan, Japanese customs, or the way things worked over here.  
  
Hotaru had gotten some fairly large white fuzzy plush puppy dog. Front legs crouched, back legs extended, tail up as if wagging, ridiculous little floppy felt tongue sticking out the side of its mouth. A silly, useless, inappropriate gift for a fourteen year old girl who had recently lost her home and viewed Grey as sort of her adopted older brother.   
  
Rei doubted the girl had put that dog down for a minute. Or stopped grinning. Silly.  
  
As for *her* gift. Worthless. She hoped he hadn't spent too much on it, it wasn't like he had access to that supply of money he won in that lottery until he reached 18.   
  
The white teddy bear looked back at Rei from where she had thrown it, little red silk heart on his chest sagging a little.  
  
Eyes cast heavenward, Rei let out a growl. She did *not* have feelings for the Americajin, after all. He could be the greatest threat this group had ever faced. He wasn't tall or handsome or anything special. He sure as heck wasn't Shinto. "What does he think he's doing? And what am I supposed to do with a *teddy bear*?! Does he think I'm a kid or something?"   
  
*I think he's just a nice person. Not necessarily the brightest bulb in the pack, but a nice guy.*  
  
"Yeah, that's true," agreed Rei. Then came completely to a stop. Blinked. Blinked again. "Who just said that?"  
  
*Me.*  
  
Rei made a point of looking around, her eyebrow twitching slightly. It sounded like a little girl? Some neighborhood kid playing a prank? "ALL RIGHT WHOEVER YOU ARE, COME OUT RIGHT NOW!"  
  
*I'm right here.*  
  
Rei spent several moments checking every crevice and nook where some child could be hidden, getting rapidly more frustrated as she did so.   
  
Then, all at once, the frustration flipped off and Rei Hino considered something. A comment that Ami had relayed once as a joke, something that Shard-san had said. How Ami had commented that she wasn't sure she believed in ghosts, and Shard-san had commented that he wouldn't have been too surprised, next to reincarnated princesses and vampiric otherdimensional entities, if Santa Claus were to show up.  
  
Rei swallowed and slowly stood up. Then turned to consider the bed. More correctly, she considered the little white fuzzy teddy bear with the silk red heart. "No. It can't be. What was I thinking?" Rei laughed to herself, maybe she was spending too much time with Usagi.  
  
*I'm not sure. But then, I haven't been a shikigami very long.*  
  
Rei twitched, staring at the teddy bear.   
  
*Is something wrong?*  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"  
  
==============  
  
i actually used magical teddy bears in my Aramar campaign. Lijra made them. Typical enchantments on them gave them radius effects like: Protection From Evil 10' radius (or to anything in contact with them), Protection From Dimensional Gatings & Teleports, Protection From Bad Dreams, and the like. There was one that was a Protection From Ravenloft 60' radius that the PCs carried with them for quite some time after escaping from that realm.  



	16. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 16,rewrite

A Soldier's Duty, chapter 16  
Fourth Labor, by metroanime@mindspring.com  
  
DISCLAIMER: Datclaimer. Here and there a claimer claimer.  
  
"A paranoid is someone who knows a little of what's going on." - William S Burroughs  
  
------------  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"  
  
Hotaru blinked as Rei ran screaming out of her room, and wondered what that was about.  
  
Rei was a bit unnerved. Go up against yoma? No problem. Evil spirits? Her specialty! Obnoxious boys? Even simpler. She was not only Rei Hino, she was Sailor Mars, and in high heels she would punish them! (Okay, that sounded really hentai, but it wasn't her fault the senshi costume came with high heels! And maybe she did have some pretty strange manga, but she just liked the artist's style. Yeah, that'll work. Right?)  
  
Lately, however, her confidence had been thoroughly rattled.   
  
One evil wizard had nearly wiped the existence of one Rei Hino from the universe. 'Bambi Hino', a stripper in Roppongi, had been very close to being her new identity. This had caused her some concern, and she had been concealing nervousness beneath a layer of 'I can deal with it' attitude. Then getting turned to stone, then *dying* again and being brought back by Ami's fiancee, and then she'd gotten a good look at him that afternoon and she'd realized he was a complete stud.   
  
Damn cute. Made her hotter than a Fire Soul.   
  
On some level, Rei realized that she was suffering from the effects of a love potion. Morrigan's field of expertise had determined this little tidbit and she'd disclosed the information. While those involved had denied anything of the sort, the idea had taken hold. Of course, nobody had told Grey-chan because Setsuna had cautioned that the boy would likely go off into heavy angst and none of them would get their dates. Rei, scheduled for tomorrow's date, had quickly vetoed the suggestion that they tell him anyway.  
  
That little part of her mind was still planning revenge against the likely (and correct) perpetuator of such an event: Eudial. On some level she realized that she had been affected by the American, and that it was unlikely he had intended to have this effect.  
  
(Not that she was really interested in her Grey-chan. Ahem. Shard-san. No. Just because he was a caring, warm, gentle soul didn't mean she was attracted to him. Just because she wanted to explore his tonsils with her tongue, rip his clothes off and... ahem. Just because she'd like to get to know him a little better. Didn't mean a thing. She was Rei Hino, Sailor Mars, after all. She had an image to maintain. The fiery maiden who didn't really like boys that much. Certainly not as much as Makoto or Minako. She had more dignity, for one thing.)  
  
Right now, however, she had been continually getting more upset over the past several days, and having her newly acquired teddy bear talk to her and announce that it was her shikigami (guardian beast) had just pushed her over the edge.  
  
Resulting in Rei running through the temple, her foot sliding on some slick leaves fallen from the many trees nearby, ending up with her slamming face first into a tree, and falling on her bottom a few seconds after that. At which point Rei Hino, miko and sometimes Sailor Mars, drifted off to a series of erotic dreams that would have embarassed the heck out of her if they were detailed in a fanfic. So for her sake, they aren't detailed.  
  
A raven shook her head and commented aloud. "Pathetic."  
  
A second raven nodded. "Well, our Princess always did overreact a little."  
  
A teddy bear didn't move but added to the conversation anyway. *Hardly what I expected. But then this job looks interesting.*  
  
"I'm Phobos, this is my twin sister Deimos. Pleased ta meetcha."  
  
*I'm Snuggles. Are you shikigami too?*  
  
"Suppose that's as good an explanation as any," put in Deimos. Privately Deimos shuddered. Bad enough to be named "Fear" and "Terror" - but for a shikigami to have a name like "Snuggles"? That was truly horrifying.  
  
"We're retainers of the Princess from a previous life," said Phobos.   
  
"Can you move?" Deimos asked, curiosity coming forward.  
  
*I don't think so. I'm kind of new to this shikigami thing. I was just a minor spirit, wandering around, when I heard the Call. It beat wandering around immaterially.*  
  
"I would think so," agreed Phobos.  
  
"Most definitely," chimed in Deimos. "Even if we'd damn near kill for people food once in awhile."  
  
"Eating bugs and worms loses its novelty rather quickly," agreed Phobos.  
  
Snuggles agreed where she could see the point. *So are you rooting for your Princess?*  
  
"Actually," said Phobos with a blush that wasn't visible under her black feathers.  
  
"We added our own names to the blackboard," continued Deimos, indicating with a wing. "Just imagine if we had our own costarring role instead of being relegated to the occasional guest appearance."  
  
*Huh?*  
  
"Private joke," said Phobos and Deimos in unison. "Besides, we're one of the few that know the Terrible Truth."  
  
*Oh dear, that sounds terrible.* Snuggles was quick to note.  
  
"That's why they call it a *Terrible* Truth," remarked Deimos.  
  
Hotaru thoughtfully stepped out of the house and draped a blanket over the fallen priestess, her fluffy dog tucked under one arm.  
  
"Dog's nearly as big as she is," commented Phobos.  
  
*He got us in a half-price bin,* remarked Snuggles. *It really stinks being Marked Down twice, then left over because you've got some stitching problems. Glad Rowf there got a good owner.*  
  
"Rowf? The dog is enchanted too?" Phobos blinked. "Must have been when he lost consciousness briefly and turned angel."  
  
"We were watching," confessed Deimos. "We thought he was pretty cute back in the Silver Millenium, and now..."  
  
"...he's available," finished Phobos. "Except that we're birds. Damn, why couldn't this be manga continuity where we could turn back to human?"  
  
"Don't think Hotaru-chan meant to put the blanket over Rei's face like that, do you?" Deimos said with some concern.  
  
*I heard her mumble something about 'Grey-chan, take me now,' in her sleep. There was more to it, but you get the idea. Hotaru apparently did not appreciate that.* Snuggles couldn't physically smirk, but gave that impression. *I had no idea that a Shinto priestess would get into that sort of thing. And spankings? My goodness.*  
  
"Oh. That would have been when Hotaru's hair briefly stuck out like that." Phobos nodded.   
  
"I think I ought to fly down and remove the blanket from the Princess' face before she suffocates," said Deimos.  
  
*Yes, that might be advisable.*  
  
-------  
  
She was no longer Sailor Pluto, guardian of the Time Gate, lonely sentinel, Senshi of Time, etcetera. Queen Serenity had cut that part of her identity off. She hadn't even been allowed to keep the Time Staff. Then she'd gotten badly hurt, and when her Nebula-kun had restored her, she hadn't returned to being the same Setsuna Meiou that she had started as. Not that he had intended to do it, of course.  
  
Leaving a vapor trail behind her, Setsuna Meiou grasped her Power Key Staff and flew through the upper atmosphere with a wide grin. Freedom. Freedom such as she'd never known.  
  
Setsuna had done many things over the centuries. Watching anime had been a recent development, but her fascination for the trappings of fantasy were far older. Science fiction, intriguing in its limited way. In England, she'd spoken with HG Wells about a future Utopia, and at that time had been speaking of Crystal Tokyo. A chance comment had apparently inspired a story on time travel, and Setsuna had vowed to watch what she said much more carefully.  
  
It was the familiarity with what the natives called anime that gave Setsuna a few answers. Such as what had happened to her, and the information that she could fly if she so chose.  
  
And she so chose. Okay, she couldn't teleport, timewalk, or throw a "Dead Scream." Her replacement staff was something connected to her very being, and the first person to wind her up basically imprinted their image as an authority figure to her. She'd defused that potential bomb very quickly and neatly thank you, with the assistance of her Nebula-sama. She didn't think she could have kids, but there had been some restrictions on *that* from being a Senshi as well. No, she had lost the restrictions and the powers of being the Time Senshi - though now her younger self fit that role at least as well as she had at her age.  
  
On the other hand, she was quite capable of breaking the sound barrier while doing a piroutte in midair. She was capable of taking her Power Key Staff and throwing out energy blasts as delicate as a laser, or as powerful as a tactical nuke. She had watched El Hazzard, and knew what an Ifurita unit like her current form was capable of. All of which could be a concern for later. Tonight was a time to exult in the freedom of a future unfettered by concerns of the effect on Crystal Tokyo and an ancient oath to see it all come to pass. Tonight was a time where the heavy burdens of responsibility could be set aside and the prospect of joy could be entertained.  
  
Tonight was a beautiful night for flying.  
  
Odd that it seemed kind of familiar though.  
  
-------  
  
Makoto sighed. Her sempai was off on his date with Ami. Ami was off on her date with Makoto's sempai. Makoto sighed again.  
  
"You heard Morrigan-san, it's just a love potion," offered Usagi. "I could try to heal it with the Silver Crystal."  
  
"No, Usagi. It's dangerous to use that thing," Makoto said, making a waving gesture. "If it wasn't we'd have had you reinstate Grey as Nebula or Ami as Mercury."  
  
"Yeah, I wonder what's keeping that new Knight? I asked him to meet us here." Usagi scratched her head, but was mainly back to paying attention to the manga in front of her.  
  
"New Knight?" Makoto considered for a few moments, trying to remember. Then the pleasant haze retreated as she realized. "THAT PSYCHO?! YOU INVITED HIM HERE? ARE YOU NUTS?"  
  
Usagi flipped a page, unconcerned. "Well, yeah. I mean he's one of my mother's court right? How bad can he be?"  
  
"He's psychotic! One of the guards was talking to me after the meeting with Queen Serenity! Did you hear about what he did in the Silver Millenium? Some terrorists tried to take over the terraforming equipment on some moon. The Queen sent that guy. Fifty terrorists, armed to the teeth. They never found the bodies!"  
  
"There was only twenty four of 'em."  
  
"WAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Makoto leapt to the side, impacting a wall sufficiently hard that she bounced. Her ponytail was attempting to flee to outer space.  
  
Morgan smiled at her briefly, reminiscent of the sort of smile a wolf gives to a young lamb. "And they only had a half dozen beamers, a few blasters, and some swords."  
  
"Heh heh," Makoto tried to chuckle. She'd faced street toughs before she'd ever become Sailor Jupiter. Every instinct she'd learned was reacting to this guy as if he were profoundly dangerous.  
  
"Eeep," said Usagi, having forgotten how scary this guy was. Yeah, he was on their side. And she was among the friendliest persons on the planet. Now if she could just get her knees to stop knocking long enough to stand up and say hello.  
  
"And the term, I believe, is sociopath. Though I'm not that fluent in Japanese." Morgan shrugged.  
  
"So, ah, kill anyone today, heh heh?" Makoto twitched, she'd wanted to make small talk but that had *not* been the question she'd meant to say. She grinned manically and sweated heavily, but was ready throw herself between this guy and Usagi in a heartbeat.  
  
Again that wolfish grin as Morgan recognized the unintended quote and responded. "Day ain't over yet."  
  
Makoto nervously checked her watch, then realized she had done so. There were only six hours left in the day. "Ah heh heh."  
  
Ice blue eyes swiveled back to Usagi. "Princess? What for did you want to see me?"  
  
Usagi began to sweat heavily despite the evening beginning to cool. How to respond to that? Somehow she didn't think "just to be friends" would fly. Even though it was the honest answer. "Uhm... well... Muffin?"  
  
Morgan sighed, reminded himself he was dealing with prissy little blueblood princesses, and settled down for a long wait.  
  
-------  
  
Darkness. Evil. Unspeakable Horror. The Terror From Beyond.  
  
Well, ok, it wasn't nearly *that* bad. It was just that Ami's date with Grey wasn't exactly how either had been envisaged it.  
  
Ami had suddenly slammed her face into the fact that she didn't have a whole lot of outside interests. Studying, chess, and swimming pretty much defined her enjoyment. The art of casual conversation was not something she had mastered. The only time she'd played a video game had been a Sailor V game with Usagi.   
  
It was also not among Grey's strengths. While he *had* done a few things for enjoyment over the years, talking with girls had generally been a failure. Repeated failures accumulated into an awkward frustration. Leading to the two taking a long walk with a lot of silence.  
  
Grey's attitude was that this was Ami's town, Ami's date, and Ami would know where to go and what to do. Besides, his broken Japanese tended to be met with blank stares. Best to let her take charge of the whole thing.  
  
Ami's attitude was that Grey was taking her out, and Amerikajin knew how to have fun. (Their pre-college education system being viewed almost as an international joke, but they had to have learned *something* in that time.) Therefore, she should let Grey take charge of the itinerary.  
  
"Uhm," Grey said, finally breaking the silence. "We go where is?"  
  
Ami briefly hung her head, once again vowing to try and teach the foreigner the intricacies of Japanese sentence structure. As well as when to use "ni" and when to use "wa" and when to leave the particles out altogether.  
  
"-Headache?-" Grey asked hopefully on seeing a twitching eyebrow.  
  
"-No thank you, already have one,-" replied Ami.  
  
"-Oh dear.-" Grey rubbed his forehead.   
  
Ami looked over at the boy, wondering if Setsuna could be wrong about this.  
  
--------  
  
Honey (currently in Kunoichi Honey mode) flipped behind a sign and held up her walkie talkie. "Sweet Thing To Hot Stuff. Sweet Thing To Hot Stuff. Do you read?"  
  
"Go ahead, err, Sweet Thing. Hot Stuff has... taken a nap. This is..."  
  
Recognizing the voice, Honey Kisaragi suggested a possibility. "How about Gothgirl?"  
  
"No. I don't really think so. Uhm. 'Rag Doll?' Oh bother."  
  
Honey shook her head. It sounded like Hotaru was going to take some time. "Looks like Target and Icemaiden aren't talking to each other."  
  
"Too bad," said Hotaru, not sounding sincere.   
  
"Wait a minute, they're going into a herbal tea shop. Sweet Thing out." Honey put away the transceiver. Time to see if Ami made any progress.  
  
-------  
  
Grey sat down next to Ami at the counter, wincing at the beating his accounts were taking. He'd saved up a little working at the bookstore, but his bank account was about to flatline and he hadn't run across any indication he could get a job locally. (Of course his language skills were really hurting him there.)  
  
Ami looked sullen. And nervous if those cat ears popping up were any indication. Her tail was sticking out of the bottom of her miniskirt. Which caused a few people to stare at her, of course.  
  
Realizing that Ami was stressing, Grey checked his dictionary and ordered a "kanwa" for her, and a peppermint for himself.   
  
The proprietor smirked, a gaijin and some girl who did cosplay. Ah well, at least the night wasn't boring. He'd play along with it. Catnip tea for the girl, eh? Cute.  
  
When the tea arrived, Grey sipped at it, but continued to eye the silent girl next to him. Well, things were going tense and weren't getting any better. He could try to patch things up, in which case he'd either succeed or fail. Experience was betting on failure.  
  
"Uhm, Ami-chan, where you want go?" Seeing her seem to relax a little as she sipped her tea, Grey pushed ahead. "What you want me say?"  
  
"Miyaaa!" Ami said clearly and distinctly, licking her lips and staring into her cup.  
  
"Ami-chan? i not quite get that." Grey checked his dictionary while Ami continued to drink her tea. "-Miyako. Miyage. Nothing under 'miyaa'? Damn useless dictionary.-"  
  
Ami blinked and swayed on her seat. "Miii miii miyaaa."  
  
"Mimi miya..." Grey checked the entry. Mimi=ear. Miya could mean miyage=present. So, in order to make up for his gaffe earlier, Ami wanted him to buy her earrings? Actually that sounded like the sort of thing that went on between boy-and-girlfriend back home. "-Okay, Ami-chan. If that's what you want, i'll do it. It may take me a little while to get the money up though.-"  
  
"Nyow!" Ami said, a smile forming on her face. She blinked at the guys behind the counter and pointed at her cup.  
  
The proprietor was quite amused. It was just a blend of kava kava, catnip, and honey, but the girl in the catgirl costume was acting like she was getting high off the stuff. Even had her eyes following empty areas around as if someone else was working tonight.  
  
"-i can't do it now, sorry.-" By his best estimation, he had less than a hundred dollars in savings right now, maybe half that in checking. "-i'll get you your earrings though, don't worry. You don't really need it now do you?-"  
  
"Nyaaaa," said Ami, feeling *awfully* good. Grey-chan was speaking in that English, but she just couldn't spare the concentration for that sort of silliness right at the moment. And now she was going to get earrings? Take that, Setsuna, with you still having a pair of earrings he bought for you over 10,000 years ago.  
  
Grey was still thinking of other things when Ami apparently decided that his lap looked quite inviting. So she just moved over to *his* stool, sat in his lap, and leaned into him. And started purring.  
  
"Ah no, Ami-chan?" Grey had no idea *how* he had done it, but apparently Ami was feeling better. ~She must really like earrings.~  
  
Ami heard her name mentioned, blinked, then began rubbing her cheeks and forehead over her property to mark him properly. Purring all the while.  
  
"Eh, Ami-chan?!" Grey wasn't too sure about this. He'd heard Ami was a catgirl now, and that it was his fault somehow. But this didn't make a lot of sense.  
  
Ami looked up, put her forepaws on her boy's shoulders to give him a quick cat kiss, then rubbed her cheek against his own while he was paralyzed. "Myine!" Ami contentedly curled up partially in her boy's lap. This was kind nice, but she was a little...  
  
Grey started looking helplessly about as Ami began to snore.  
  
-------  
  
"Virtual Beast GO!"  
  
"Do I have to? Can't we just invite 'em over for beer and skittles?"  
  
The Wizard felt a headache coming on. "Yes, you have to. It's the only way to ensure that they aren't around to either get killed, thereby terminating the simulation, or make a choice, also thereby terminating the simulation."  
  
"I don't wanna. Besides, this'll never work."  
  
The Wizard counted to ten, slowly. "Did I or did I not create you?"  
  
The creature, a shifting blur of color and shapes that was nauseating to look on, shook its heads. "Yes, you did but..."  
  
"Your entire purpose in existence is to use your powers against those targets I designate, right?"  
  
"True, but..."  
  
"Look, the little surprise I created with that angry girl from Nerima fell through. The daimon and her magical tools are all lost to us for now."  
  
"And whose fault is that, eh? Bloody hell, this operation has been a royal balls up from the gettie go." The Virtual Beast sniffed disdainfully.  
  
"You keep flipping between an Australian and a British accent," noted the Wizard.  
  
"And whose fault is *that*? Look 'ere, I'm just a damn 'monster of the damned week' and who the 'ell needs *that* sort of thing?" The Beast had settled down to one head, four legs and a body that resembled a squashed beanbag. "Can't ye just whip up a flock of those daimon thingies and go at 'em? Make 'em look like some of those bishonen types, carrying flowers and candies, and them girls will be fallin' all over themselves."  
  
"Terurun has already suggested that," admitted the Wizard. "I think you're both underestimating them. Admittedly they're young girls, and a bit boy crazy, but they're not that shallow."  
  
"Are you sure about that?" The Beast was very skeptical. "Very well, I'll give it a try. But tomorrow. It's already too late tonight."  
  
"No. Tonight. It's perfect."  
  
--------  
  
It was a good thing that Ameow seemed to be even lighter (somehow) than Ami. Grey wasn't sure how that was even possible, but was accepting it under magical theories dealing with rotating subspacial mass.  
  
Into a fireman's carry went the snoring/purring girl, who had shifted the rest of the way during the time it had taken for Grey to disengage from the cuddle. (If this had happened in some place where the locals weren't likely to freak, Grey would have been more likely to scratch her ears than try to remove the catgirl.)  
  
So Ami's body was covered with short fur, her mane had lengthened, likewise her fingers and toes seemed longer and had those retractible claws, she had a slight muzzle, feline slitted eyes, not to mention her tail and ears.  
  
Grey worried about torch-bearing mobs out to kill a "werewolf". Ami wasn't worried about a thing. The people back in the tea shop had kept their own counsel. Except that one of them *had* commented on the cute picture of a boy and his pet.  
  
The bluefurred girl who was his current backpack shifted a little, a hand sliding inside his shirt to run her fingers along his collarbone. An act which caused Grey to shiver in a way that had nothing to do with cold. He felt her cheek rubbing against his shoulder and she mumbled something.  
  
No, he didn't understand girls, the Japanese, this catgirl stuff, or even why Ami was acting drunk. Grey didn't think he'd *ever* understand the first two.   
  
*SCHNIK*  
  
Now if Ami would just retract the claws.  
  
----------  
  
A brief interlude elsewhere:  
  
On Terratwo, there had been no genetic engineer or even a biology major to get the most out of the cloning equipment, and so six men had produced hundreds of other men when all the women had been killed off. Through a technique called "mongrel cloning" - these artifically produced men had some odd characteristics but a sort of genetic diversity. Still, the gene pool definitely had a shallow end.  
  
A benefit of this was that there was no racism, per se. Six guys had combined their DNA in the machines to produce these others, but the bloodlines were thoroughly mixed now. There were cultural differences, Japonesse being different from New Texas, but no diverse genetic population.  
  
Doctor Lorelei had produced dozens of clone daughters of herself after her release, which would have produced identical girls. The human female had returned.  
  
Marionette androids had been developed during the time of no women. With first Lorelei's work, then Faust and Ieyasu, and others, then Lorelei's return, the androids had become more and more sophisticated. Still, these did nothing to expand the gene pool.  
  
Then came Edema's contribution. The dark elven mistress of chocolate comestibles had helped clean up some problems left behind, and had contributed some of her own genetic material. The result had been light-hearted giggly girls whose skin tone ranged from coffee-with-cream through a dark-chocolate, white hair and pointed ears, and eyes the color of burnished gold.   
  
Enter the last piece, the restored Mesopotamia and its resurrected crew.  
  
The rejoicing had slowly been replaced with tension. The Mesopotamia, and its captain, still lived by its charter. More than just a document, it was a constitution and the nucleus of a new government. The authority of the Mesopotamia, the crew felt, overrode the accidental society which had formed in their absence. They were here now, and these patchwork false governments should dissolve that the Mesopotamian Government could take over.  
  
Neither the Japonesse, nor New Texas, nor Geltland, nor any of the other governments really felt that this was acceptable. Hence the tension. As the various factions for continued independence argued, nobody in those governments had signed that document, and they'd been building themselves up for quite a few years. There were other lands that the newcomers were perfectly all right to take over.  
  
The Mesopotamians argued that the six who'd formed those nations had signed the agreement. And so the argument went back and forth. Except for one group which pointed out that neither group had a hold on *them* and they were perfectly happy with things as they were. Why bother with politics and arguing when there was so much fun to be had!   
  
Edema's daughters laughed and teased and danced and played and sang, and the darkskinned daughters of the drow would wink and smile at the various ones who came to argue.   
  
"Laugh and enjoy life, dance and be free," they would say with a grin. "Or in the name of chocolate, we'll punish you!"  
  
----------  
  
Back to the sim:  
  
Setsuna drifted to the ground, *knowing* that something terribly wrong had occurred.  
  
The Hikawa Shrine was silent. Eerily so. Nor could she detect any sign of life. No skulking ninja, no glowering samurai, no giggling girls.  
  
There *were* some signs of struggle. Three throwing knives stuck in the wood here, a drawn sword lay on the ground there, a few feathers over there, and the telltale signs of Usagi in "full pig out" mode that had clearly been interrupted.   
  
Setsuna had done many things over many years. She did her best to recall tracking skills and tried to put the eerie "stalker flic" atmosphere to the back of her mind.  
  
A flicker of motion at the corner of her eyes caused Setsuna to turn and nearly fired off a quick blast that would likely have taken out half the shrine. Nothing, just that teddy bear that Rei had recently gotten.  
  
*It's still around.*  
  
Setsuna startled, then looked deeper. Some sort of spirit?  
  
*LOOK OUT!*  
  
Setsuna whirled, power building up around her staff.  
  
-FWOOP!-  
  
*Oh crap!*  
  
----------  
  
The Wizard watched carefully. There was the Boy, the nexus of the simulation and the single person he had to be the carefulest around.  
bookmark  
The target was walking home, a blue-furred catgirl carried on his back, and not paying attention. Perfect.  
  
The Virtual Beast was doomed to fail, due to this child. More concisely and correctly, due to the Binding.  
  
The Wizard was an Spells R Us Wizard. His specialty: turning otherwise unsuspecting people into bimbos. Also pets, furniture, statues, and a variety of other things, but mainly two dimensional oversexed giggly feminine uninhibited morons. When the end result was that simple a pattern it became a very easy thing to do. The tricky part was making it an adjustment in reality so that all records would show the new girl as always having been a bimbo. The reason the Spells R Us franchise mainly did this sort of work was because they were almost entirely staffed by dirty old men who could have given Happosai lessons on being perverted.   
  
Any of the Spells R Us Wizards were sufficiently experienced with transformations of that type that they could overcome spell resistances and do artistic flourishes and all manner of other extras in a spell like that. It wouldn't have required any effort on his part (if he knew where they were) to turn all of these Senshi, their cats, and their allies into cheap tramps, drug addicted hookers, or simply common bimbos. If he'd set up a monster for them to fry, and then ambushed them, he could have easily converted the whole "Sailor Team" into plush dolls or chickens before they could get through just one of their attacks. Even with the danger sense talents of the Knight Of Duty, especially that Chain of his, it would be only a minor exercise. And, as long as he wasn't dead or completely immobilized, the Simulation would continue to run.  
  
The Wizard had come up with a number of scenarios that he could apply that would amuse him that would fulfill these conditions. The boy and his friends had insufficient power to resist him in such a match.  
  
The Binding, though, was a wildcard.  
  
So when Grey unsuspectingly stepped on a black chalk drawing on a black street, which was designed to turn anyone who broke the pattern mentally and physically into what was depicted (in this case a female chicken or hen, mainly for the Japanese pun), the Wizard was watching carefully.  
  
Grey continued walking without a hint of being altered. Which was what the Wizard had been looking for.  
  
Long prior to the Labors being assigned to him, Grey had been confronted by the Elder god of mischief and presented with the opportunity to make a wish. Or it would be made for him. Grey had come up with a long and complicated wish, with multiple riders, exclusions, and limitations. What else could you do in such a situation? He'd eventually run out of breath, being an asthmatic and normally a quiet person anyway. Toltiir had granted the wish, more or less, by creating the Binding.  
  
The Binding had been examined by Hephaestus at one point, who had likened it to a self-evolving Artificial Intelligence computer. It had its directives, and it would grow stronger and develop further as time went on.   
  
The Wizard knew this, but didn't know the exact strengths or unavoidable loopholes of the Binding. The raw power level of the Binding could stop far more powerful wizards then himself, but it had been worded as a wish and therefore was prone to having gaps in coverage. Hence the current experiments. While the Virtual Beast drew all the attention, he could experiment uninterrupted.  
  
The hen curse had simply failed to go off, the trigger "mysteriously" failing to function.  
  
A similar trap merely changed the girl on his back from a catgirl to a bunnygirl, but again somehow merely slid over the actual target. Grey still hadn't noticed.  
  
A third trap again slid over the target, and instead of turning Grey into a lowclass prostitute, it merely fizzled briefly in the air.  
  
This time the Wizard got a little more data, as intended. This particular transformation was one he had used many times, usually to mete out his own peculiar brand of justice. He had put quite a bit of "oomph" into it. The Binding, as expected, was quite powerful. Though the magical "jaws" had unerringly targetted the boy, and he *knew* that he could be turned female (temporarily at least, he'd heard that the Pheonix Mage had turned him into a catgirl) something about the prepared template caused the whole thing to be thrown out.  
  
The fourth, fifth, and sixth traps simply failed to trigger. Number seven had a mechanical trigger and threw a videotape at Grey. Which bonked the boy squarely in the head, but failed to have him change his name to Debbie and do anything at all in (or with) Dallas.  
  
The Wizard watched with eyes that viewed the spectrum of magic, though unlike the Mage and certain others, he required glasses to do so. The barest flicker of energy in each case. The magical traps remained ready for the next victim, but the enchantments had failed to activate. Physical triggers worked to spring the transformation, but the enchantment was neatly deflected.  
  
Still, he was an old wizard with a lot of enemies, and so he was fairly good at his craft.   
  
Teleporting ahead of where he could see the boy heading, the Wizard set up a preprepared item. As with most of the paraphenalia common to a Spells R Us store, it was cursed and magical. The instructions for use were such that it would eventually rebound on the user, unless (of course) they had magical protections. A thin strip of metal laid across a doorway, the curse written on the downward side being of the usual sort one would expect from a hentai old wizard.  
  
The Wizard got an unexpected bonus as several members of the Japanese Purity League attempted to lay an ambush and crossed the Tireisian Threshold. The new girls immediately decided to go off and boywatch, forgetting entirely about the plans they'd developed while of the male gender.  
  
With the enchantment proven to be active, the Wizard cast a Wizard Eye and then retreated a safe distance to watch.  
  
Four others visited the bus station and crossed the thin strip. Not realizing they'd been changed to simpleminded young girls, they chatted about the usual vacuous things while waiting for the bus.  
  
Finally the boy entered and the Wizard watched carefully. The enchantment struck out towards him, and slid off while he stood there looking puzzled. Again and again the enchantments struck out until finally the boy moved on.  
  
The transformation template was a typical one for the Wizard. Scantily clad and scatterbrained nymphettes were always in demand, after all. Therefore, it was well practiced and he knew the spells involved quite well.  
  
The Wizard had watched carefully and had noticed something during the attempt to transform the target. It looked as if the sticking point had been the attitudinal part of the transformation. Which made it possible that the Virtual Beast would be able to trap the boy.  
  
Not very damn likely, but possible.  
  
Having discovered what he needed to know, the Wizard teleported back to his lab.   
  
--------  
  
Grey had noticed an odd sensation at the train station, but he'd been getting odd twitches all evening. Maybe it was an allergy.  
  
Ami would occasionally mumble something in her sleep, but seemed to be so deeply asleep that she couldn't be awakened. His current theory was nervous exhaustion. Too much studying had finally taken its toll. At least she'd un-catted.  
  
Then an exhausting walk to the Shrine. He'd chosen the Shrine over their shared home because it was a) closer, and b) maybe someone could tell him about Ami having a medical condition that produced such effects.  
  
Not to mention the forecast 80% chance of rain tomorrow morning now looked like 100% any minute now.  
  
Sure enough, a few brief raindrops began to fall.  
  
Having never walked quite as much as he'd been doing lately, and carrying someone who weighed a fair amount (though he was thankful at this point that it wasn't Makoto) up a flight of stairs, Grey was shaking from exhaustion and finally collapsed on the bed, atop Ami. Feeling the muscles twitch with a side order of numb, or as if they had all the consistency of overcooked pasta.  
  
"Unnngghhh," said Grey as the downpour commenced. Which summed up what he was feeling at the moment.  
  
The silence and lack of people penetrated, and he did make an effort to get up. Unfortunately his legs had gone on strike and weren't at all ready to support him.  
  
Ami stirred again. Then seemed to awake and realize she was lying on a bed, human again, with her fiance lying atop her. Nor did she remember how she got there. Gossip about American men was something that *did* come to mind.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAA!" *WHUD!*  
  
Ami recovered from her brief scream to realize that her nominal fiance was groaning but not getting up. "Shard-san?"  
  
"-Mizuno-san, would you mind not doing anything too outre until i can move again?-"  
  
Ami flinched at the anger in that simple statement, but recovered. "What did you think you were doing?"  
  
"-Carrying some girl to her friends in case you had fallen asleep from something besides 'recreational drugs'.-" Grey grumbled into the wooden floor. "-Where's Setsuna? i bet *she* wouldn't throw me around like that.-"  
  
Ami looked at the twitching figure on the floor. He didn't look like he was in any condition to molest anyone, and her clothes were still intact. Except her shoes were missing for some odd reason. "Well, I guess that..."  
  
-FWOOP!-  
  
Grey listened to the silence and managed to push off the floor briefly. ~What the hell makes a sound like...~  
  
-FWOOP!-  
  
============  
  
Next chapter: the Virtual Beast has struck. Now what?  
  
OK, OK, i was going to get into flagrant character exposition in the various dates. Still plan on it. Yet the Inner Senshi have been *so* explored by a deluge of fanfiction that i'm not entirely sure what i could do that would be new and different.  
  
Though maybe having Haruka and Michiru trying to kill him while he's out on a date with Maya is still playing around some.  
  
Later  
gregg  



	17. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 17

Chapter 17, A Soldier's Duty  
Fourth Labor  
  
DISCLAIMER: Warning: the sturgeon general has determined that the following fanfiction contains elements from other authors/artists. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. Well, mainly innocent. The rest of this mess by metroanime@mindspring.com  
  
"The ability to speak does not make you intelligent." - Qui-gon, a Jedi.  
  
------  
  
Queen Serenity had sensed some danger to her daughter. She had teleported, completely forgetting how draining and disorienting it could be to teleport under your own power, without the various aids that had existed 10,000 years ago. Which was not the best condition to be in upon entering a dangerous area.  
  
Mamoru Chiba had sensed his princess was in danger. He was the noble Prince Endymion riding in to rescue his Princess, the Knight Of Hope and guardian of Earth who sought to assist the magical warriors of love and justice. Well, sort of. He'd also gotten his butt kicked regularly, and his power level wasn't nearly what one of the Senshi was. So, he'd gotten a bit cautious after a few battles that hadn't gone well *at* *all* and tended to play cheerleader and take shots at the enemy from a distance where feasible.  
  
Okay, it wasn't terribly heroic or spectacular. Using an energy disruption field on a rose and hitting the big bad monster from *way* far away wasn't exactly the role he'd prefer. The problem that he'd confronted some time ago was quite simple. If he tried to be the big brave hero and frontline fighter against an awful darn lot of their enemies, Usagi would be a widow before she got into high school much less marriageable age.   
  
Not acceptable. If he actually stood a chance of lasting more than a few moments, even actually beating the 'monster of the week' - great. He'd lock ranks with Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars and they'd protect Sailor Moon. Okay, he was a good shot with thrown roses. Also yoyos, toy tops, and a number of other objects. As a thrown rose was his most potent attack, Tuxedo Mask had learned caution.  
  
He was putting that caution to use now. Where Queen Serenity had popped in with her own lightshow, he had come in at the edges quietly and snuck in, a rose held to be thrown at whatever trouble lurked. Where Queen Serenity had been confident in her power, Tuxedo Mask was quite aware that there were yoma that could wipe the floor with him without raising a sweat.  
  
Of course, this did mean that he took a *lot* longer to get into position. This was a gamble, as he could arrive too late for a last minute rescue, but if he never arrived at all it could be worse. He had faith in his "Usako" but he had more faith in her if he could help.  
  
The overwhelming amount of silence indicated that he was, indeed, too late. Except that he *felt* absolutely sure that Usagi was still alive and unhurt. He cursed this latest enemy who seemed to be a bit less interested in following a set pattern. Even with the sleepless nights and problems they'd brought, most of their enemies had followed a single modus operandi and stuck to it.  
  
Mamoru Chiba entered the shrine office/study area and noted the set of throwing knives imbedded in the wall. Now he really began to worry. He couldn't remember much about the Silver Millenium, but he remembered a little bit about the Shade Knight. He didn't like him, didn't trust him, would prefer that Obsidian had *stayed* a dim memory of long lost times, but could respect the barbarian's talent for surviving and causing widescale nastiness.  
  
Endymion the noble Prince, Hematite the studious Squire, Basalt the reliable Soldier, Obsidian the barely leashed Barbarian. Obsidian had never gotten along with Endymion. He'd once stated that the Knight Of Hope was a political appointee, granting him the title as a sop for the earthbound who couldn't rise to power on their own merit.  
  
No, Hope and Fear were quite incompatible. That didn't mean that Endymion couldn't appreciate the times that Obsidian could have come in handy. He suspected that if Obsidian had awakened back in the time of that mess with Beryl, likely the generals would have been found in a power struggle following Beryl having an untimely "accident."  
  
The knives had a faint charge to them, similar to what he did with roses. If Obsidian had thrown weapons, they would have hit. If Obsidian had thrown only three of them, he hadn't had much time. If Obsidian had left the knives in the wall, this did not bode well.  
  
"GIVE AMI BACK, YOU FILTHY LITTLE #$$@!"  
  
Tuxedo Mask blinked. Shard-san was yelling and throwing something? Well, at least he had an idea of where to look now.  
  
What Tuxedo Mask *expected* to find in the shrine office was a typical mostly-female looking yoma. Fighting the guy who currently could not transform into Nebula and have even a snowball's chance of winning.  
  
Seeing Shard-san grappling some odd looking sort of not-there/there shape-uncertain creature, the single arm not involved in keeping in place had Rei's favorite baseball bat and was repeatedly thwacking any target of opportunity.   
  
"Oy. Would'ja cut it out! You're not cooperating boyo!"  
  
"DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!" (Whack-whack-whack-whack-whack-whack)  
  
Tuxedo Mask spent a brief moment staring and then sent a single rose into the barely visible monster. It went through without meeting any resistance until it connected with Shard-san's leg.  
  
"Eeep!" Shard slipped as his leg lost its death-grip. Followed by the thing throwing him through the wall. It looked like he was more hurt than the wall.  
  
Drawing his cane and extending it, Tuxedo Mask tried a quick bashing attack. No effect, he might as well have been slashing air.  
  
"Now for you," said the thing, looking towards the prince. "Need to get the full set, eh?"  
  
--------  
  
Hotaru wondered where she was and what had happened.  
  
One minute she had just put her stuffed toy down for just a minute because she'd heard someone scream. Then *poof* she was here in this forest. She was also ten years old, wearing really old style peasant clothing, and with a pair of sandals that were nearly worn through.  
  
Then Hotaru Tomoe saw the house and gasped. Gingerbread roof and walls, candy cane decorations, pink sugar windows, the works.  
  
Going up to the house revealed that the peppermint trim looked and smelled real. Likewise the various other bits of candy used to construct the house all appeared quite authentic.  
  
Then, being a good little Japanese girl, Hotaru knocked on the door. Maybe she could get directions.  
  
The door opened, revealing a beautiful woman with long red hair. Hotaru repressed a shudder as the woman reminded her a *lot* of Kaolinite.  
  
"Excuse me, miss," said Hotaru with a bow. "I appear to have gotten lost somehow. Can you tell me how to get to Hikawa Shrine in Azabu Juuban in Tokyo?"  
  
"My, such a polite and well refined young lady," said the woman after looking vaguely surprised. "Won't you come inside for a bite while I try to find a map?"  
  
---------  
  
Tuxedo Kamen had backed up into the hallway, keeping his eye on the vaguely shaped creature.  
  
"Mamo-chan?! Aaaaaaaaa!"  
  
"Chibiusa?" Mamoru blinked. This had to be an illusion right? Chibiusa was back in the future, wasn't she? She also normally didn't look as dirty, frazzled, or tired as she did now. Her usual hairstyle had fallen apart and was now a rumpled mass. It *looked* like Chibiusa though.  
  
The vaguely seen beast moved, a ripple forming from it as it seemed to form a cube of space around the pink-haired girl and then twist it in some odd fashion. Chibiusa vanished and a book fell to the ground.  
  
Two roses went through the beast without effect, as if the creature were simply not present for the attack.  
  
*THWUD!* A thrown rock impacted the beast as if it were a rock hitting a solid object.  
  
"You again? Let's try this one more time, ye "   
  
*THWUD!* *THWUD!*  
  
An idea formed in Mamoru's mind. Picking up a chair, he slammed it into the attacker with a satisfying *Thwack!*  
  
"That's it, boyo," again the Beast turned back towards Tuxedo Mask. "I'm gonna stick you in a Stephen King novel."  
  
Tuxedo Mask shifted, becoming Mamoru Chiba again. He had a chance now. This yoma was immune to magical attacks. Even a chi blast or magically charged weapon would pass through it without ever actually touching it. So, all he'd have to do is attack it with enough force to crush its defenses.  
  
*THWUCK!*  
  
It was the nature of the genre to remember powers at time of need. The same thing went for going beyond one's limits. The problem being is that going beyond a certain point one reaches and there simply aren't any reserves left to draw on.  
  
So Grey, having managed to draw on those reserves and keep moving, managed to throw one final object before collapsing.  
  
Tuxedo Mask looked at the twitching body of the Beast, a naginata blade having been thrust the entire length of its body from behind, to the limp form of Grey, and back.  
  
Letting out a deep breath, Mamoru reminded himself that cleaning up messes (whether it was from Usagi's well-intentioned efforts in the kitchen or yoma battles or something else) was something he had gotten lots of practice at and was getting very good at such.  
  
The Beast twitched, trying to move forward despite its wounds, and Mamoru Chiba got an *enormous* amount of satisfaction beating its head in with a chair.  
  
-----------  
  
Usagi Tsukino was one of the friendliest beings in existence. Something, she had learned, that she got from her Daddy. Her looks were due to her mother, enough that she looked like her mother's twin sister. She wasn't sure where she'd gotten her cooking skills or clumsiness from, though she'd noticed some tendency of the clumsiness from Basalt/Nebula.  
  
When she'd started out as Sailor Moon, she'd been easily frightened and extremely clumsy. Okay, the entire identity of Sailor Moon had been a screwup by Luna. As the Princess she hadn't been ever expected to be a frontline fighter. She wasn't as calm, dignified, or scholarly as Princess Serenity II had been. (The name caused her to smile, remembering Ami speculating at one point if there had been a Queen Tranquility, Queen Crisium, or some similarly named ancestors in her past.)  
  
Usagi was fairly powerful as Sailor Moon. With the Ginzuishou, she could be enormously powerful, though using the Crystal was a two-edged sword.   
  
Usagi had looked up from attempting to inhale an entire bag of pork rinds, to see some yoma, and had found her hand on her transformation pen in a heartbeat. Usagi Tsukino might be helpless, but repeated successes as Sailor Moon made her a *little* braver than the girl she had once been.  
  
Unfortunately, she immediately found herself *here*. Where 'here' was, now that was the problem.  
  
A thatch hut, one with several fairly short beds? Some kind of nursery or something? Odd, she thought she'd seen something like this before.  
  
A knocking at the door interrupted her attempts to remember.  
  
"Excuse me, young lady," said the old woman at the door. "Can I interest you in some lovely red apples?"  
  
---------  
  
"-i hurt in places i didn't know i had,-" groaned Grey.  
  
"-I'll bet,-" said Mamoru. "-When I was moving you, I noticed that you're showing signs of extreme fatigue.-" Privately he was surprised that Grey was awake after an hour. Throwing water on him earlier hadn't managed to rouse him.   
  
"-i could use another sixteen hours sleep, i think.-" Grey tried to get up. Unfortunately, that level of muscular shutdown isn't easily ignored.  
  
"-The others, they've all been turned into books.-" Mamoru was a little alarmed that killing the yoma hadn't restored everyone.  
  
Grey was still a little out of it. "-What kind of books?-"  
  
"-Usako is 'Snow White',-" said Mamoru holding up a book where the cover clearly showed seven dwarves surrounding a crystal coffin. Inside of which was Usagi Tsukino.  
  
"Unnnn," managed Grey for the effort of craning his neck up.  
  
"-The thing is, I can *feel* Usagi is still OK.-" Mamoru looked puzzled.  
  
"-That's because the creature actually encapsulated them in pocket virtual realities. The book is actually the physical protrusion into our reality.-"   
  
Mamoru blinked. "-Sounds good. Whatever gave you that idea?-"  
  
"-Rei's teddy bear told me,-" said Grey, his voice trailing off to nothing as he passed out again.  
  
Mamoru looked at Grey, then at the stuffed bear. Then back again. ~He's in worse shape than I thought.~  
  
----------  
  
Queen Serenity was miffed. She'd given up being ticked when it was apparent what had happened.  
  
Manifesting the ginzuishou and throwing out a destructive bolt hadn't done anything except tire her further. Well, that and scorch the back of her dress as the space curvature brought the beam back to its source.  
  
Though mystic probes weren't her specialty, Serenity manifested some simple ones to determine the nature of her prison.  
  
She was in a pocket dimension some two miles across. It wasn't quite real, however. A sufficiently applied combination of power and will could overwrite whatever this was. Rather like the Dream Sculpture Chambers that some of the nobility of the Silver Millenium had been known to favor.  
  
Queen Serenity frowned ever so slightly, not liking the current situation but not seeing a way out. There would be a way of shutting it off from the outside, and if it was anything like the Dream Chambers, she'd have to solve an internal problem to find the key to break the enchantment. There would also be an evaporation point, when the dimension became unstable and ejected her.  
  
Which meant she was stuck here for the time being. The reason that she disliked it so badly, other than someone deciding on restricting her freedom, was that she had to rely on someone else to free her.  
  
For a member of the Imperial Family, for a Queen, this was intolerable. Her mother, Irium, had stressed repeatedly: a ruler could *never* rely on another person. A ruler had to be able to sacrifice *anything* for the good of the kingdom.  
  
With a deep sigh, Serenity adjusted her flimsy dress (currently a backless gown due to the energy burst she'd used earlier) and tried to identify her surroundings.  
  
A large castle on a mountain? Good enough place to start, especially with it getting dark.  
  
--------  
  
Snuggles would be among the first to admit that she had *no* practical training or experience in being a shikigami. Heck, she had first thought of the job as being a "guardian angel" which sounded fairly cool and useful. And as Snuggles was a nature spirit (Class 6, Air Elemental) this was a definite step up. Providing she could get the hang of it.  
  
A stubby little stuffed leg quivered.  
  
Snuggles was finding herself wishing that there was a manual. Just moving this body seemed to be a trick of tapping into mana currents, translating it into a static TK field, and tying the whole thing into the body as a form of enchantment. Of course, as an air elemental, she could tie into those flows easier than another element.  
  
One of the white little stuffed paws flexed and shifted.   
  
Unfortunately, those paws lacked fingers, so being able to deal with a keyboard or something was out of the question. She *did* have that little heart-shaped pocket on her belly. Maybe one of the girls around here could rip out the seams and sew it on properly.  
  
Her powers as a shikigami were largely based on her experience as an air elemental. She could sense magical flows and energies, was quite aware of the wind and weather patterns, could manifest fresh air by telling it to drop impurities, and could listen to the wind for information. She could also do a few other minor tricks with wind and air, but she *was* only a Class Six.  
  
An ear twitched.  
  
Snuggles wondered if maybe she ought to get a different owner. Phobos and Deimos seemed to already have the shikigami role down for Rei "Bambi" Hino. Maybe that tall girl?   
  
The teddy bear watched the scampering stuffed dog as it tried to get Grey to wake up and free its owner from an illustrated faery tale. There was a brief stab of jealousy, but then Snuggles supposed that a dog-spirit in a dog body had an easier time of some things. The dog, a floppy white mutt, whined briefly then seemed to go to sleep. The shikigami knew that it had merely exhausted itself by remaining animated for that time.  
  
Snuggles finally rocked to her feet, then tried to get the legs to support her. For a brief moment she stood triumphantly on Rei's dresser.  
  
Then fell over into the waste basket.  
  
Snuggles cursed briefly and very eloquently.  
  
----------  
  
Ami struggled awake as a rough tongue went over her face. "Unggh."  
  
"Well nyow, rrrrr, about time you stirrred," said an oddly familiar voice.  
  
Ami's eyes shot open to meet a pair of feline pupils staring right back at her. "AAAAAA*urk*!"  
  
This last was caused by someone placing a mouse in her mouth. Not something she had anticipated.  
  
"hurr hurr hurr hurr myew hurr hurr hurr!"  
  
When Ami had finished choking, she regarded the snickering creature which had done this. "Excuse me, but why did you do that? And who are you?"  
  
The humanoid cat rubbed tears away from her eyes and grinned. "Nyi'm you."  
  
"Excuse me," Ami said.  
  
"Ameow Mewzuno," proclaimed the catgirl, holding up a clawed finger. "Sometimes known as the Senshi of exams and cuddling, Sailor Purrcury!"  
  
Ami blinked twice. "Excuse me?"  
  
The delighted look shifted to annoyed. "Funny, Nyi don't remember being this slow. OK. I'm you. You'rrre me. We'rre both parts of the whole. You'rre the exam ace, borrring little shy girrl."  
  
Ami winced as if she'd been slapped. Mainly because this was a private dread of hers coming out.  
  
"Grrrey-chan going to get borrred with you, drrrop you like stale rice," Ameow made a dismissing gesture. "Nothing in common with you, going to lose interrrest cause Ami Mizuno is borrring."  
  
Ami shook her head from side to side.  
  
Blue furred fingers grabbed the neck of Ami's dress to bring her close. "BULL PUCKEY!"  
  
Ami blinked and wondered what a 'puckey' was. She'd heard the expression before but was uncertain as to the meaning. Then couldn't help but notice that this weird image of herself was baring fanged teeth as she leaned closer. "Uhm?"  
  
"Nyow herrre this," said Ameow. "Nyi'm part of you. Nya."  
  
Ami looked over the catgirl. A short thick blue fur was her only clothing, there was a slight muzzle, a slightly darker mane of hair in her own style. It was *exactly* like the card she'd seen in that dream the night she'd lost being Sailor Mercury. "Which part would that be exactly?"  
  
Again that grin. "The friendly, fun-loving, often rrreprressed, thorrroughly sensual and cuddly side of us, that's who!"  
  
"Oh," said Ami, finding herself smiling back for some odd reason. Despite that she was dealing with some manifestation of an obviously chauvanistic cultural attitude which had resulted in a *smack*  
  
Ameow glared at her other self, having just lightly slapped the girl to get her attention back. "Nyi know that look. Don't overranalyze! We'rrre only seperated because you rrrefuse to acknowledge therrre's a savage beast within. Or at least a purrrfectly worrrking cute and rrromantic beast, nya! Besides, we still got to get out of here."  
  
Ami looked around at the forest. "Where are we, anyway?"  
  
Ameow sniffed the air a couple of times, then growled. "Frrrom what Nyi saw earrrlier, we're in Wonderrrland. Less the Disney version and not the orriginal drawings by Tenniel. Hopefully it's not the CLAMP verrrsion. Especially as Nyi smell playing cards."  
  
"So you're the Cheshire Cat, that would make me Alice," realized Ami. "Which means..."  
  
"I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" A girl in a bunnysuit ran by at high speeds.  
  
Ami blinked rapidly. "Was that?"  
  
Ameow shook her head. "Rrrr? Looked like Usagi. Scent was completely different. Shall we go?"  
  
Smiling and nodding at this weird other version of herself, Ami smoothed out her dress then adjusted her glasses. "Let me try something first. Computer, arch! Computer. Exit Program!"  
  
"Already trrried that," indicated Ameow.   
  
"So we need to find a physical exit." Ami nodded again. "We'll just have to avoid the Red Queen."  
  
--------  
  
Grey and Mamoru looked down at the books.  
  
"This could be bad."  
  
"Very bad."  
  
"'Hotaru & Gretel,'" Mamoru read off one. "So how do you think we get them out?"  
  
Grey groaned as he struggled up. "Hmmmm. Let's see if this works."  
  
"What works?" Mamoru blinked. Grey's eyes still had a tendency to cross and he still looked very shaky.  
  
"The bear tells me i can cast clerical spells," Grey mumbled. "So here goes..."  
  
Mamoru was even less confident at this revelation.  
  
Grey focussed, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, then something seemed to change about him. His stance grew more confident, the shakes vanished, and his voice was different - deeper and more commanding.  
"Ariel, Uriel, Raphael, Michael,  
By Force of Word and Will,  
i ask thy help in matters dire,  
break this prison with magical fire!  
Cage bound with forces fell,  
i ask you its magic - now DISPEL!"  
  
This last was shouted and accompanied by a crackling electrical discharge that accomplished absolutely nothing.  
  
Mamoru remembered to breathe and looked at Grey with a bit more respect. It might not have worked, but it had clearly done *something.*  
  
Then Mamoru noticed the teddy bear was attempting to free itself from where it had landed headfirst in the wastebasket, and decided he needed a good strong cup of tea. It had been a long day and it looked as if it would be a long night.  
  
--------  
  
Jared poked his head into the monitoring room. "Hey, Celeste, ya busy?"  
  
She looked up skeptically from her control monitors, currently covered with anti-bimbo wards, and wished she had a few against rampaging meddlers, too. Though that *last* category would stop so many people half the Goddess Relief Office wouldn't be able to use their own control center.  
  
Possibly including her, though she would rarely admit it.  
  
Reluctantly, she pried herself away from the boards. "Make it short." No need to give him any more reason to intervene in this, she didn't need any more snowballing screwups.  
  
"I'm sorry you feel that way about me." He said flatly, and she jerked, realizing that he'd somehow found how to sidestep the guards against mind reading against gods.  
  
"No." He sighed, coming in and sitting down. "I just read body language. People up here seem to think that if you stop a few spells you can be bloody obvious about stuff and no one will know about it anyway." He sighed again. "But skipping for a moment your low opinion of me, I was   
wondering about something."  
  
She blinked, but there was this unwritten rule about gods being bested even in small things owing their bester a favor in proportion. She relaxed a trifle, busying herself clearing away a stack of music CDs while he talked. "Shoot. But aren't there people you'd rather ask? I mean, my portfolio is Japanese pop music - hardly something I'd think you'd touch on."  
  
He shrugged. "Makoto Jupiter has taken the whole fiancee crowd over to her world for training. Shan is having the time of her life... Edema seems to have given up. I don't have all that many people to talk to at present."  
  
"Okay." She tuned in with puzzled ears while he talked.  
  
He directed his look inward, face turned away from the monitors. "It was about something Grey did that's been puzzling at me ever since. He drew away spell points from me, right?"  
  
"Yeah." The goddess of J-pop wondered where this was going. "You primarily, Bast, and Toltiir to a lesser extent."  
  
Jared understood that Bast probably provided the catgirls, Toltiir would have gotten involved just to be different. That meant he was the primary influence. "And he did it to cast priestly spells?"  
  
"Yeah." A smirk. She'd had a look at his file and he was in for a whopping surprise if something like *that* creeped him out.  
  
The god of crossovers directed a troubled gaze toward her. "Wouldn't that make him technically a worshiper? At least for now? And, if a worshiper, wouldn't that put him under my authority?"  
  
By answer Celeste touched a key, bringing up Grey's current stats and highlighting a phrase at the middle -Priest: Crossovers, Felines, Pratfalls-. "Yes, technically though his core reality is an Aramarian dragon, so it's more a matter of walking a philosophical path or cause than worship. So what?"  
  
Jared nodded at the confirmation, drawing breath to say something. "Well, in that case, I think I'm supposed to make up Rules for the priesthood, right?"  
  
An X-Japan CD fell out of Celeste's nerveless grasp.  
  
*****  
  
Chibiusa ignored the little men.  
  
She ignored the gaijin guy with the frizzy blond hair who was saying something about not eating.  
  
There was food! Food! She hadn't eaten in way too long. At least a day! Following that dumb Ryoga guy, getting lost, getting beaten up by that muscular vampire guy. Then he'd tried to drain her, spat blood up and pronounced her too damn sacchirine, then took off with her Cutie Moon Rod! How rude!  
  
Finally she'd found her way to the Hikawa Shrine. Then she'd gotten teleported to this weird playground. But finally she had found FOOD!  
  
The man in the top hat and strange clothes continued to say in a quiet monotone something about how terrible it was, and she really ought to stop eating.  
  
Then the flavors started exploding in Chibiusa's mouth. Roast Beef! Mashed potatos and gravy! Peas (yech). Oh! Blueberry pie! She loved blueberry pie! Uh oh.  
  
Willie Wonka shook his head as the girl with this odd pink hairstyle rapidly expanded into spherical form. "What a horrible waist. Oh, the humanity of it. Take her to the squeezing room."  
  
"Squeezing room full," grunted a short man. "Tour bus. Terrible Tragic Story."  
  
"Oh well, roll her off to a corner until we've got an opening." Mr Wonka shrugged expressively. "Children these days."  
  
The short man gestured to the other short men, and they quickly began rolling the currently round and blue Chibiusa off to the side. And, as they were wont to do, they began singing.  
  
"Oompa Loompa, diddly di dude,  
Putting it bluntly: you really are screwed.  
Oompa Loompa, diddle di dee,  
If you are wise, now listen to me.  
Oompa Loompa, a blueberry tart,  
Heed your elders, it'd sure be smart.  
Oompa Loompa, diddle di doo,  
Just like Oompa Loompa, diddle di do!"  
  
"Waaaaaaaaaaa!"   
  
----------  
  
They were survivors. They had survived by being tougher and meaner and nastier than anything that crossed their path. They were also *huge* - before the nuclear and bacteriological weapons had been launched they had been big. Now they had become monstrously huge due to the bacteria's effects. It had also tended to make them dumber than dirt and aggressive as hell.  
  
"Hah, little one want to 'dance'," said one big ogrish fellow, his mohawk flopping about as he tried to toss his head invitingly, "yeah?"  
  
"I think she wants to dance with all of us," said another cracking his knuckles.  
  
Rei looked up. It was a good thing she was still dreaming. Otherwise she couldn't do this.  
  
"Shuuuuuuuuuu SHOU!"  
  
Noticing the little girl had landed on the other side of their formation, the three grinned.  
  
"Now little girlie, you can make this easier on yourself by... URK?!"  
  
"The name is not 'girlie.' You now face Rei, practitioner of the Southern Cross style!" Rei spun, going into an offensive stance easily. "Where is my groom, you morons?"  
  
"g-g-g-groom?!" The mohawk wearer looked even more shocked. This was not in the script.  
  
Rei knew the basics, she was just taking liberties. This was *her* dream, after all. "My groom was kidnapped. Now I am going to get him back. Here."  
  
The leader saw two copper coins flipped up briefly by the raven-haired woman, then she shot them forward at such speeds that they seemed to make a cracking noise in the air. Then he whimpered.  
  
"Oh. Sorry about that." Rei winced. Beating guys over the head was one thing. "I meant that to be two pennies, you know, like fare for the ferryman. Charon. That sort of thing. I was aiming for your FACE."  
  
The leader whimpered again and fell over in a fetal position.   
  
"Guess I need to work on that, don't I? I thought I had it this time." Rei shrugged. "Oh well."  
  
--------  
  
"Fee fi fo fum!  
I smell the blood of an Englishman!"  
  
"Wrong on both counts," interrupted a wry feminine voice.  
  
"Be he alive or be he dead,  
I'll grind his bones to make my bread."  
  
The long haired woman estimated the one-eyed giant as being thirteen feet in height. "It would be prudent to reconsider."  
  
"You can't get away from me," said the giant while thumping its chest. Then it began reaching for the much shorter woman.  
  
"Oh bother," Setsuna whipped her staff around briefly and discharged an energy blast. "You don't know Jack, otherwise you wouldn't mistake me for an 'Englishman'."  
  
The energy blast was relatively mild. The giant was thrown off his feet and came to rest four body lengths away. His, not hers.  
  
Setsuna glanced at him with scarlet eyes. "You're the third faerie tale villain I've run into since coming here. This is some sort of Dreamscape or Dream Chamber obviously. Now, are you going to tell me what's going on, or should I get rough. And don't think playing dead is going to do you any good."  
  
"Oh phooey," said the giant. "I'm sorry, you must be one of the evil witches from one of the other stories. My bad."  
  
Setsuna inclined her head, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Privately, she doubted this lummox knew what was going on. Anyone who could mistake her for an Englishman named Jack was either blind or an idiot. However, as his threat potential (to her at least) was laughable she didn't feel right about simply blasting him into a fine spray of gory bits. At least without confirming that this *was* some sort of enforced dreamscape.  
  
------------  
  
"Uhm, what do you mean you don't want an apple?" The old woman said after devoting fifteen minutes to her sales pitch.  
  
"Nope," chirped Usagi cheerfully. "Oh, I'll buy a couple. (Give one to Reichan sometime when she's being a meanie! Mamoru can kiss her awake, he's a prince. On second thought, maybe not.) Don't like apples, though."  
  
The apple saleswoman blinked. "Oh I see. Maybe some pretty ribbons and lace?"  
  
"Nope," said Usagi, slightly more tempted but not that much. She'd placed the old woman almost instantly and wasn't sure about why or how but didn't think buying *anything* from the transformed Evil Queen would be good. Besides, if she fell for something like that, Rei would be unmerciful.  
  
The woman seemed perplexed, as if she just couldn't quite grasp what was going on. "But you have to have an apple."  
  
"Nope." Usagi decided that a break from Rei was not worth her getting a kiss from Mamo-chan.  
  
The old woman grimaced and grumbled something that didn't sound at all polite.   
  
"Bye bye, obaasan!" Usagi closed the door and looked over the place. Seven short little beds, check. A curtain drawn to seperate one area with a bigger bed, check. Little old lady trying to sell her apples, big check. She *knew* where she was. She was just glad she wasn't stuck as "Inaba the White Rabbit" and having to use sharks as stepping stones and the like.  
  
There was a brief glow from outside the front door.  
  
Usagi frowned, reached over, and slid a bar into place.  
  
The door rattled a moment later. "LET ME IN! LET ME IN!"  
  
Usagi shook her head at the woman's voice, which sounded a lot like Queen Beryl for some reason. "Not by the hair of my chinni-chin-chin!"  
  
Usagi could hear the face-fault despite the intervening door. "Not that I have hairs on my chin. Eh heh."  
  
Beryl growled at the door. "Let me in, or I'll Lightning Bolt the door open!"  
  
"You're supposed to do something with huffing and puffing, aren't you?" Usagi asked from her place of protection.  
  
Beryl frowned. "I do NOT huff and puff!"  
  
"Look, it's the Evil Queen!"  
  
Beryl turned and glared at the seven short bearded fellows. "If you don't scram right now, this'll be 'Snow White and the Seven Toads', capiche?"  
  
The Seven Dwarves looked at each, pulled axes and picks out, and argued the point that in close quarters at least - dwarven steel and a fine disregard for royalty were quite capable of ending arguments with powerful mages.   
  
This wasn't the Disney version, after all.  
  
---------  
  
Minako had looked over the three bowls and had made a face. "Porridge. Yech!"  
  
There were three chairs, none of which particularly appealed to the hyperactive little werecheetah, and three beds. Well, sleeping in a strange bed didn't happen to have that much appeal, though she *was* tired.   
  
So, she merely waited outside the home. That they'd left food out indicated they were probably still around.  
  
Imagine her surprise when three talking bears showed up!  
  
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" The biggest bear growled menacingly.  
  
"Oh, sorry. I am the crusader for love and catnip, Sailor Cheetah! I seem to have gotten lost and was looking for a map or directions to the Hikawa Shrine in Azabu Juuban." Minako bowed politely. They might be fearsome looking bears, but this *was* apparently their house.  
  
The bears, menacing a moment ago, went to confused. "Oh," said the largest bear.  
  
"Well, at least she's polite," said the largely mollified second largest bear.   
  
The smallest bear peeked from around his mother's leg and looked at the furry girl. "Kitty!"  
  
Minako smiled and waved, radiating cute and perky.   
  
The three bears looked at each other. While she *was* Goldilocks, at least as far as that thick mane of hair, this wasn't going at all in a manner they had somehow expected.  
  
"You're not from around here, are you?" The big gruff-looking bear asked, then shook his hairy head. "No, you just said you were lost. Look, I don't know where Aza Blue Jewbun is, but I suspect it isn't around here."  
  
"Look dear, why don't you come in and have some tea while we try to figure out which story..."  
  
"PUSS IN BOOTS!" The youngest bear started jumping up and down excitedly.  
  
The two older bears blinked while Minako frowned slightly. There was something impolite about referring to her as a 'puss' she was sure.  
  
"You know, that's gotta be it," said Papa Bear, slapping a fist into the other paw.  
  
"Of course," agreed Mama Bear. "Oh my, you *are* rather lost, aren't you. Don't worry, my dear, we'll check my maps and get you to the right story in just a tiff."  
  
---------  
  
Grey continued to read from the book. "And so, Goldilocks had tea with the Three Bears while they figured out how to get her home."  
  
"That isn't *at all* how I remember the story," argued Mamoru.   
  
"It's still got a moral, in this case 'Don't trespass' or 'Politeness is a darn useful skill' or something like that," replied Grey.   
  
"So we've got Ami in Wonderland with her twin Cheshire catgirl sister," Mamoru pointed out, "Rei is in 'Fist Of The Northstar', while Usako is fending off the Evil Queen in 'Snow White' and Chibiusa met a misadventure at Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory..."  
  
"You *do* realize that if you don't go rescuing Usagi first, she's going to be awfully upset with you. And i wouldn't blame her a bit." Grey pointed out helpfully.  
  
"But Chibiusa is a giant blueberry right now," Mamoru said, wincing because he knew darn well the other was right.   
  
"Yeah, but otherwise not in any immediate danger. Usagi isn't either, though according to that one section, it sounded like Beryl had a Contingency spell handy." Grey shrugged.  
  
"You're going to have it worse, I think," Mamoru indicated. "You're the one with all the fiancees. Thank kami."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Better you than me. MUCH better you than me."  
  
Grey looked over the various books. "Actually, there's not a difficult choice. THIS one is in the most danger. Followed by this one, and this one. Minako isn't in any danger at all."  
  
"You don't think Queen Serenity is going to be upset at you rescuing someone else first?"  
  
Grey winced LOTS. "Well, we'll just cross that bridge..."  
  
=============  
  
Ami in Wonderland?  
Chibiusa in the Chocolate Factory?  
Hotaru with no Gretel in sight?  
Minako Aino, Puss In Boots?  
Obsidian in Ruroni Kenshin?  
Rei of the Southern Cross?  
Setsuna & The Beanstalk?  
Sleeping Beauty, starring Queen Serenity?  
Usagi White & The Seven SD characters?  
who will Grey rescue? And will he get in more trouble doing the rescuing?  
  
  
There's a major rewrite being planned. The samurai bits were originally written by Skysaber, who has requested them back for use in a future fic of his own. Since that's now on the docket, i'm asking if there's any *other* changes that need to be made. Just send your commentary to: metroanime@mindspring.com  
  
=========== 


	18. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 18

A Soldier's Duty, chapter 18  
  
"If the heart of a man is depress'd with cares, the mist is dispell'd when a woman appears." -The Beggar's Opera (1728)  
  
"Hey, waitaminute, this was only supposed to last twelve chapters!" - the author.  
  
"I am not a thief, I'm a Wealth Redistribution Specialist." - Tandel the Lynx  
  
DISCLAIMER: Characters and settings used in a eclectic manner ahead. Some scenes by Skysaber, others by myself.  
  
---------  
  
Ami *could* have spent time analyzing this dream, fitting it all into either a Freudian or Jungian philosophy. She had tried this earlier with some success.  
  
Her blue-maned catgirl sister would be her emotional feminine inner "wild child" - an affectionate bundle of energy. One who had clearly stated her interest in Grey-san, which might mean that she herself *was* interested in him on some level. Though it would clearly not work due to a lack of things in common.  
  
"The Queen Of Hearts,  
She made some tarts,  
All on a summer's day,  
The Knave Of Hearts,  
He took those tarts,  
to his seraglio to stay!"  
  
Ami was pretty sure that this was *not* how the original had gone. Nor was she a "Replacement Tart, Third Class" as those playing cards had continued to insist.  
  
Only the fact that her cute and cuddlesome emotional self had functional claws and wasn't afraid to use them had kept Ami from being taken "off to the Tart Factory"!  
  
No, this was *not* how Lewis Carroll's work had gone. Ami was quite sure of it.   
  
---------  
  
Grey held his hands out to either side and tried to quell the butterflies battling in his stomach. Or at least get them to declare a cease-fire.  
  
"You're a cleric, which means you have to channel magical force from offplane," lectured a white teddy bear. "Let the power flow through you as if you're a pipe carrying water. The words and gestures are needed mainly to ease and shape the flow."  
  
Grey tried to shut out the annoyingly cute voice of the shikigami.  
  
Mamoru didn't drink, except the occasional cup of rice wine during Shinto ceremonies and festivals like the Sakura Viewing parties, and even then he barely imbibed enough to observe the event. Listening to a care bear lecturing a minor Knight on AD&D game mechanics, Mamoru briefly toyed with the idea of hitting a bottle of aforementioned rice wine.  
  
The stuffed dog waggled its tail. "Rowf."  
  
Mamoru groaned.  
  
"Are you sure about this, Endymion?" Grey asked. "If this works, you'll have to solve the problem and say the magic words. Usagi isn't going to be happy either."  
  
Mamoru winced. "Chibiusa is my daughter. In the future, at least. I can't leave her to roll around in some room waiting to have the blueberry juice squeezed out of her."  
  
"Fine," said Grey, taking a deep breath. "Let's try this."  
  
"No," argued the teddy bear. "There is no 'try' - just do."  
  
Mamoru hefted Rei's stereo remote and considered using it as a missile weapon briefly.  
  
"Open gates of time and space,  
Into dreamscape prison place,  
Travel now, bringing key,  
Unfairly prisoned may be free."  
  
The book began glowing as the magic was channelled into it. Mamoru stopped considering braining a teddy bear, and just glared once before entering "Chibiusa & The Chocolate Factory."  
  
---------  
  
"I'm not sure about this..." Celeste hazarded.  
  
Jared shrugged, working controls. "Look, it's perfectly alright. I'm NOT screwing around with anything, I'm just making sure I'm NOT failing in my own duties! I'd be a perfectly pathetic leader if I'd failed to tell my followers what was expected of them. And I'm NOT blowing the test, either! Just giving him the basics to do his job and fulfill his duties right."  
  
Celeste squirmed, she hated to be overruled and had come to consider this simulation as her own province. Meddlers were not welcome. She sighed. But then this case could hardly count as meddling. Jared was right, he had a perfect right. Even a responsibility.  
  
As someone used to coping, she resolved to just accept this one.  
  
Jared hit the 'Enter' Key.  
  
Celeste sucked in her lower lip, questioning. It would occur as soon as he'd resolved his current crisis, but there were aspects of this she wasn't sure of. "But are you *sure* of the choice of messenger?"  
  
Jared's grin was back in place as he leaned back. "Well, in a way it was *Grey* who chose him..."  
  
------  
  
Morrigan frowned.   
  
"Come in, Little Red Riding Hood."  
  
"Boy, have *you* got the wrong girl," remarked Morrigan Aenslad, unfolding her wings.  
  
The wolf in the gray wig and comforter blinked. "'Ey now, Little Red Riding Hood, Wot happened? You got quite a bit bigger." The wolf licked his lips hungrily.  
  
Morrigan was a succubus. She therefore had some shapeshifting abilities. She lengthened her teeth and made them all sharp and sparkly.  
  
"Uhm, say, Little Red Riding Hood, uhm, those are some pretty sharp looking teeth you've got." The wolf frowned a little, not used to being confronted with bigger teeth.  
  
"The better to rend succulent wolf flesh from its bones," said Morrigan. Another gesture and her hands shifted to long claws that looked stained with old blood.  
  
The wolf considered those claws carefully. Reminded him of his mum, it did. Not to mince words, but she was a real bitch. "Oh my, Not So Little Red Riding Hood. What nasty looking claws you've got there."  
  
"The better to slash open wolves and make sausages out of their innards," speculated Morrigan, who caused her eyes to glow a brilliant red.  
  
"Oh dear," said the wolf. "You aren't Little Red Riding Hood at all are you?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Is it too late for me to run screaming from the house?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Oh," said the wolf. Who then leapt from the covers and proceeded to flee at all speed back to his den.  
  
The moral of the story being that it's possible to get a clue before it's too late.  
  
---------  
  
The first girl's voice was soft, quiet, and *usually* emotionless. There was a hint of emotion there now. "I wish to register a protest."  
  
"What Wonder Girl here said!" The second voice was usually quite emotional, and was neither soft nor quiet. Nor was it usually.  
  
Celeste groaned and put the simulation on automatic. "What NOW?!"  
  
"Me and Wonder Girl have been in the running here, howcum *we* aren't in the simulation?"  
  
"At the beginning of all this, neither of you made the appointment," Celeste countered. "You were late and disqualified."  
  
"We gave a message to that blonde girl that we'd be a little late," Asuka Langley Soryuu replied, her haughty edge beginning to show signs of coming apart. "We had a chance to verify what would happen if we were returned to our original timeline, just as if Grey had never come cruising in and mucking things up."  
  
"Oh," said Celeste, figuring that someone was about to become unglued.  
  
*Sniffle.*  
  
For Rei Ayanami, the tear tracks forming and trembling were the equivelant of Asuka ripping clumps of hair off and going into a fetal position. "I... don't want to be a mass murderer..."  
  
"Yeah, and the idea of me..." Asuka went into the ending of Evangelion in great detail. "That is NOT something I want to have happen."  
  
"Don't worry. You won't remember any of it," Celeste said, completely without guile. "Standard policy."  
  
"That's not the point," argued Asuka, her eyes getting wild. "That's completely NOT the point. Look, Shinji's a spineless wimp. Kinda nice, but that's it. But... and then... and in a... ocean of blood and..."   
  
Celeste looked on in some concern as Asuka started twitching a lot. Perfectly normal end to an Evangelion timeline, why be upset over it? "It would only be a few years. Shinji has no skill at farming or food gathering, and his medical knowledge is minimal."  
  
Asuka whimpered, the facade of the Germanic primadonna she'd once been crumbling away entirely.  
  
Rei let out a deep breath. "Well, if we can't find another means, how about we simply transfer to a timeline that doesn't end quite so... unhappily?"  
  
"It's your native timeline, and how things would normally have turned out." Celeste pondered for a few moments. "I'll see what I can turn up."   
  
---------  
  
The book glowed, dissolved, and Mamoru appeared with Chibiusa.  
  
Or at least a four foot girth blueberry, with Chibiusa's head, feet, and hands sticking out of it.  
  
Chibiusa was very... well, upset didn't seem quite to cover it. Bawling was likewise inadequate. Loud will do for now. Yes, Chibiusa was very loud. Extremely and unequivocally loud about it. Also inarticulate for the most part.  
  
Grey signalled Mamoru, who rolled his daughter off into a room where a talking teddy bear could try and calm her down.  
  
"I didn't expect *that*," confessed Mamoru on his return.  
  
"So that's my granddaughter. Healthy set of lungs at least." Grey shrugged. "Either Queen Serenity or Usagi can try returning her to normal."  
  
Mamoru winced at the thought of Usagi finding Chibiusa like this. The teasing would likely continue for some time.   
  
"Well, at least we know that anything that happens to them in these 'Dreamscapes' carries over now." Grey tried to put a positive spin on it.  
  
"Who are *you* going after? You're going to upset some girls just because you're not going after them first." Mamoru tried to think of a way around it.  
  
"Look at this situation," Grey said, holding a book open. "I don't think I can wait."  
  
----------  
  
Hotaru looked through the bars of her cage at the "pie pan" that bore a vague resemblence to a coffin without the lid.  
  
The Witch checked the pot bubbling on the stove and tasted the mixture. "Perfect."  
  
"I really don't think this is appropriate behavior," squealed an eight year old Misato Katsuragi from HER cage.  
  
"Human flesh contains all sorts of health risks. A balanced diet would be much better for someone of your age," a likewise youthened Ritsuko Akagi tried. "If you let me go, I'd be happy to see if I could find you the proper ingredients."  
  
"Abandoning your friends to be my dinner? My badness, what an evil young thing you are," the witch said, turning to regard the caged kids. "I'm sorely tempted. However, once you've been converted in my oven - you'll make a most excellent side dish."  
  
Maya Ibuki merely glared at her former sempai and refrained from pointing out that visiting the Shrine to spy out the situation had been HER idea. Therefore, their being included in this ridiculous situation was all the fault of one Ritsuko Akagi.  
  
"Now, who should I start with?" The Kaolinite lookalike considered the four little girls. "Would it be better to save the sweets for later, or maybe a tender young morsel, or even start with... Yes, you'll do."  
  
A knock on the door interrupted the dinner preparations.  
  
"Go away! I'm just fixing dinner!" The Witch yelled, counting on the mute spells to keep her dinner from screaming for help.  
  
The knock on the door sounded again.  
  
"Oh fuss and bother," grumbled the witch as she walked to the door. "If it's not one thing, it's another."  
  
Hotaru ignored the whispered recriminations between two of her fellow prisoners. If only she could transform as she had that once, but how had she actually done it? And as soon as they'd been caged, they'd turned younger like this. Maybe this was to keep her from being able to transform?  
  
"Whatever it is, I don't need any," said the witch, opening up the door just a crack. "Oh. HELLO!"  
  
"Hi, i'm from the Witches' Anti-Defamation League, and in order to keep public opinion from escalating against Witches, i'm here on their behalf to request you cease and desist in certain practices and dietary choices."  
  
Grey knew that you had to adapt and go with the setting to some extent. Once he'd gotten here, he'd found himself a little peasant boy in threadbare clothing. So he'd tried shaping and summoning the power before getting here, and thought he had a plan. The spell had brought him something unexpected, but the wording had been for an escape. So maybe...  
  
Finding himself grabbed up and thrust within a cage was a bit unnerving, particularly with the smells in the tiny cottage.   
  
"Sempai, you came for me?" Hotaru asked through the intervening cage bars.  
  
"Some rescue," Ritsuko moaned.  
  
"Wan! Wan!"  
  
The Witch looked puzzled and went to the door, peeking out. Then turning pale (including her hair) and leaning against said door. "D-d-d-dog. BIG dog. Big big big dog."  
  
Grey reached out to hand something to Hotaru as soon as the Witch's attention was off them.  
  
Hotaru frowned at the pen in her hands. Did her sempai want her to make out a Will?  
  
"Say the words," said Grey. "I've never used one, but they should come to you automatically."  
  
Hotaru's eyes widened. She had this sudden urge to say something silly. "Saturn Planet Power. Make UP!"  
  
"Eeeek!" The Witch was a little surprised at the sudden lightshow. Not to mention that dinner now had a polearm. "Little girls shouldn't play with blades. Let Granny take that nasty bad stick away, dearie."  
  
"Silence Glaive Surprise!"  
  
The Witch was VERY surprised, though briefly.  
  
----------  
  
Edema had selected attempting to clean the Pheonix Mage's toes via suction applied to his lips, and was in the act of so doing - hands roaming all over those areas where permission was most in question, and figuring that after all of her trouble chasing him that a little paralysis powder had certainly been in order and not at all worse than what he did, when Thor wandered by.  
  
The redhaired thunder god saw the two, had the Pheonix Mage's reputation run briefly through his mind, waved his hammer idly over the couple, and said "get a room." Teleporting the pair of them off to the bed of a love hotel in that sort of heaven with their wedding certificate floating idly down over the pair of them.  
  
Edema's eyes were wide with shock as her lips had frozen in mid tonsillectomy.  
  
The paralysis powder used to get the mage to sit still in one place long enough for her to smooch him chose that moment to wear off - probably the adrenaline had something to do with it.  
  
Jared spoke around the encumbrance of Edema's lips. "I think I'm going to go insane now. I think I've earned it. No offense to you, but..."  
  
Edema rose up on her hands, a blush stealing over her dark face, stammering, realizing she was lying atop him. "Sugah, Ah..." Words failed her.  
  
The Pheonix Mage's voice was tight with strain. "Funny thing, Belldandy was talking the other day with Urd. I overheard there's no such thing as divorce in a Norse culture, the closest thing is to kill your mate. Much as people suspect it of me I have no intention of doing that to you."  
  
The drow made an effort not to touch her throat in relief at that thought, and failed. "Ah... thanks."  
  
"Don't mention it. You aren't evil, you *can't* be a target. Uhm, but there is one thing..."  
  
"Yah?" Edema was having her own reaction shock, nice of him not to want to kill her...  
  
"Can you do me a special favor?" His voice was tight with barely contained strain, looking straight up at the ceiling as it to control his urge to run screaming from the scene by avoiding thinking of it.  
  
"Anything, Sugah." That not killing her line was still undergoing review. Very kind of him. She was not sure she would be so forgiving in his position. Speaking of position she blushed to the roots of her white hair, remembering what their current one was.  
  
"Thank you." He raised his arms around her and she felt her magic resistance fail as a wash of energy overcame her briefly. When she came to he was panting in relief from reaction at his near escape to a terrible situation no violence could resolve. She blinked her green eyes at him.  
  
He cleared his throat, then sighed again in relief and held her. "Nothing personal. My mom just insisted that I never marry an elf not of my own subspecies. Sanzennin family vows and all that. I hope you don't mind."  
  
Edema briefly realized that she was no longer drow.  
  
The realization was brief because the Pheonix mage started kissing her neck. Her blush resumed and thought fled.  
  
Her prince had returned and was paying close attention to her.  
  
Somewhere far distant, Ataru Moroboshi screamed in wrath and frustration. Someone had *his* harem.  
  
-----------  
  
"Waaaaaaaa! It didn't work!"  
  
Grey shrugged. He had reverted back to 15 years of age shortly after Sailor Saturn had removed an evil witch from the story. Unfortunately, the results hadn't gone quite as well for everyone else.  
  
Ritsuko Ikagi was a fairly cute, eight year old girl. Still. Her age hadn't altered since entering the dreamscape.  
  
Hotaru Tomoe had partially returned to her own age of fourteen from the eight or so she'd been stuck at once she'd entered the cage of the wicked witch. She guessed that she was twelve again. Nor was she happy at all about this, though not turning into a sobbing wreck like Ritsuko.  
  
Misato Katsuragi had apparently gone halfway in reverting towards her original age. She looked high school age. She had gone out to find a vending machine that had beer and get smashed.  
  
Maya Ibuki had lucked out, mainly. She was perhaps in her early twenties when she had started out in her mid-twenties. She was still quite upset with Ritsuko and was making comments about reform school and orphanages. Which was not calming the former Doctor Ikagi down at all.  
  
Hotaru merely hugged her puppy dog, and wondered why Mamoru Chiba kept staring at it. That and grinned a lot because her sempai had decided to rescue *her* first.  
  
Grey decided not to bother with explanations. Hotaru was happy, Endymion looked weirded out, and he had other emergencies to deal with.  
  
Rei seemed OK, though Mamoru insisted that "Hokuto No Ken" (Fist of the Northstar in English) was not exactly a happy setting to be trapped in.   
  
As Mamoru was still reluctant (for reasons Grey wasn't sure of) to rescue Usagi at the moment, that meant that he had to try and break another out of her dreamscape. The logical choice seemed to be...  
  
--------  
  
Edema was tortured.  
  
The former drow girl cried. She'd spent a life of agony proving to herself and others that there was no need to assume a dark heart existed beneath a dark skin. She'd named her business to reflect that, it had been her life.  
  
It hadn't been much of a life from many others' perspective, but it was something. Enough to distract her from much of the pain, at least. Tears continued to trickle down cheeks robbed of their dark color as she considered the work of a life lost in a single mistake.  
  
Beside her in bed, the Pheonix Mage rolled over and an arm went across her. Instantly he was awake. The tenseness of combat faded, then returned, then reduced to partial power all in an instant. "What's wrong?" He asked her, senses flaring.  
  
A proper Southern Belle either rages at her husband or is cheerful for him,... no, that's not quite true; She also depends on him. Edema was torn between the proper Southern response and her own uncertainties. "Ah, Ah don wan ta be a burden on ya, dahlin. Go back ta sleep."  
  
With eyes closed to hide the pain she decided she would go along. He had sworn oaths, after all. She would respect that. Yes, she would support him in public, never letting anyone know, least of all him. This was her blunder, after all, the price was hers to pay.  
  
Hers alone.  
  
Perhaps someday the pain would fade.   
  
She began to feign sleep to lure Jared to do likewise. She felt him shift and tried to quell the terror. She *liked* him, but was not experienced with anyone else making her situation better for her.  
  
Then again, it was the exception to that lying in bed with her. ~Women do not lie awake at night crying when 'nothing' is wrong. Considering what just happened, whatever it is is my responsibility even if it not my fault. If magic would have fixed it, she would've done that herself, so go the old fashioned way. Begin diagnosis of problem. 'Nothing' Meaning in Lingua Par Women: I don't want you to be aware of it. Possibilities: One, it has to do with me directly and thereby by default is beyond my security clearance. Two, it is too massive for her to deal with and by extension not to be trusted to me for fear I will either be hurt by it or make it worse. Three, she finds it embarrassing and fears for our relationship. Discard option three as it fails to fit situation parameters. Hmm? No, make that a tentative discard. It doesn't fit her   
well but we are dealing with the source of all illogic. Examine all data strings to determine which path is more fruitful.~  
  
He watched her breathe, observing how careless she was in the act of being asleep - a sure sign that she'd never had to do this before. It made sense, who did she have to trust? It was her against the... ~Contact!~  
  
Edema, for her part, was stiff with fright. Torture by her matron mother and elder sisters in her youth had left her more than physical scars. Gentle contact was unresponsive in her, and a thick streak of paranoia prohibited her from participating in anything rough enough to get her   
going on the end she needed to be to get anything out of it. Surprise and elation in her had made an exception *this* time, but she hoped it wasn't an exception. As to the rest...  
  
Between an early teens spent ducking ambush and death at every hand by everyone she might remotely consider under better circumstances, the next several decades spent among halflings who were... eckk! Not interesting. Then leaving with the carefully constructed image of a bad girl but nothing behind the shell to back her in actually *being* that kind of girl...  
  
Edema, for all her boldness, used that boldness and loud talk about unpopular preferences to conceal her shield her pride. She had never 'done it' before in her life.  
  
Jared, for his part, was connecting facts almost as quickly as she was. Some were observable to a new husband, others he had overheard, still more he could deduce. ~She's terrified, has no idea what this means, and is without firm rooting in the world. Everything she knows has been cut out from under her, and was so lately at odds with me she doesn't have a clue what I can be like under better circumstances. Hmm. Diagnosis tentatively complete, begin selection of ideal remedy. Few enough under the title of 'Build Someone A New Worldview', but... Aha!~  
  
He sat up.  
  
Edema consciously fought against stiffening up, deliberately loosening herself and preparing for what she thought was inevitable. It was gospel that men only wanted one thing, after all. She began to consider what to do from bits of information gathered from hundreds of seedy conversations that were the result of holding up her image.  
  
What she did not expect was for him to begin talking. "My grandparents escaped from Krynn, you know."  
  
Edema blinked her eyes open, no longer faking sleep, and not knowing what to make of that statement. He was not playing with weapons, casting spells, or doing anything lecherous - all of which placed him firmly outside her limited experience with the public persona of the Pheonix   
Mage.  
  
He gave her a friendly sort of look, open and while not exactly vulnerable, had some guards down. "They were being held in Ishtar, both of them. The Kingpriest had them under lock and key as being questionable sorts. My grandfather, of the improbable name of Sunrise, was a Paladin   
of an order that allowed elves. My grandmother was a mage of the White Robes, a fancy way of saying a good aligned magic user, but magic use was suspect in Ishtar then. Both were Dimernesti, coastal elves, able to breathe both air and water, arrested while on land and presumed up to no good by guards who were the least bit overzealous. They might have come to trial but the Folly of the Kingpriest came then. Watching the flaming, falling mountain come down upon Ishtar from out of the windows of their cell they were whisked away by the blending of his prayers and her spells, and thus missed seeing the Cataclysm from ground zero."  
  
The Mage sighed, examining his hands while twiddling his fingers. "So they came to the world where I was eventually born. Being of lawful bent and temperament Sunrise did not get along well with other elves, including my grandmother, and soon left her. They weren't married then or   
even terribly close, not even friends. So he traveled wide, mostly with humans. One such quest left him in the company of a lawfully-minded human from the orient. The pair got along famously and after many adventures Sunrise accompanied his friend back to his homeland to assist a country torn in the brewing of a dynastic dispute."  
  
He raised his eyes to the wall, seeming to see beyond it a near infinite distance without seeing anything at all except in memory. "When the dust had fallen Sunrise's companion was named Emperor. In part due to his bloodline but mostly because of my grandfather's ability to keep his   
friend alive in spite of an endless succession of ninja assassins. He always said detect evil is an ability most useful when applied liberally."  
  
A glance toward Edema was quickly averted down to the sheets. "Due to owing him his life, the new Emperor elevated my grandfather to the nobility, with hereditary title and lands. That might have been the end of it, producing a small surge of half-elves who would have rapidly   
disappeared in a wider population, if my grandmother hadn't showed up. She'd spent the intervening years among elves of that world, but had felt lonely for someone who knew of her homeland and could relate to her past home and experiences without a befuddled look on their faces, so she'd sought out my grandfather."  
  
The Mage was back to looking at his hands. "Anyway, retaining the substance of elvan ways but adopting many of the forms of their neighbors, they prospered, bore children, eschewed local politics, produced goods, and survived. It only required a few centuries for my family to be in a fairly unique position. The first emperor had been so enamored with my grandfather that he demanded that he marry his daughter. My grandmother slipped in the protest that she was with child and could not their children marry, and after the hundred years that it took for my   
grandfather's eldest to grow to a marrying age the imperial family had looked forward to the event for so long that it became tradition. Every elvan generation since then has married the imperial line somewhere - one of my half-sisters from my father on my side. All of us kids had been taught in adventuring classes and a few had risen to become notable heroes, which was not by itself so unusual. The truly amazing part, to the humans that is, was that a measly few hundred years is not a terribly big deal to an elf and all those heroes, including my grandparents, were still around."  
  
Another glance was risked at her, and this time lingered. "For a culture that reveres age this caught alot of respect. The first emperor of the present dynasty was long in his grave, many of his triple-times removed grandchildren had died a hundred years ago, and yet there was Sunrise   
walking around hale and healthy as can be and had known him personally. Needless to say my family fairly *reeked* of honor."  
  
The deep sigh he gave had much pain in it. "Which is hard for an elf to take, let me tell you. A land with that lawful a bent is stressful to us. My grandmother copes by spending much of her time in estates underwater off a shore our lands control, where she is fairly certain of not having to expect visitors who'll demand rote and ritual till she wants to scream."  
  
His gaze wandered back toward the wall again. "On the other hand, as you know, elves rarely have that many children. Our clan has always been small, though my grandparents have been wise in insisting their children always married elves, whether imported from other lands or the result of permanent magical change. It wasn't hard to demand 'Excuse me, but you can only marry my daughter if I can cast this spell on you that will make you live fifty times as long and look like us.' There were men who fought each other for the privilege."  
  
He drummed his fingers against each other, looking up. "Yet by remaining aloof from the local power struggles we had become obsolete before I was even born, relics if you will, regarded with some amount of awe but no feeling of relevance. My grandfather had been sent away out of court many long years ago. Other clans more willing to play power games beat us out of trade routes, land, townships, and holdings, using influence at court to secure them for themselves. Ninja over the years had stolen everything we had of worth. We'd become rich in honor yet poor in everything else."  
  
Now he was examining bedsheets. "And many of us descendants were just too stressed by the ritual formality of our homeland that we couldn't take it." He closed his eyes. "It got to my grandfather, too. He was Head of Clan and felt the responsibility for salvaging everything was his, so he leaned all the more heavily on us trying to make us conform to what he thought was right."  
  
The look he directed toward Edema had some real tears in it. "Do you know what the choice of my class was? A monk renounces all ties to his family, that was its central appeal to me back then."  
  
The hurt reflected in those blue eyes stunned her, as it reflected so much of Edema's own.  
  
Another huge sigh was made on his part. "But my clan still had some hold on me, the vows of a Kensai are quite clear and being an elf of a clan of elves meant the connection remained in everyone's eyes in spite of whatever vows I'd made. So, to erase some of their shame in me and to give direction to my wandering they put me on a mission to regain many of the family artifacts that had been stolen over the years."  
  
Jared's lips quirked in a slight grin. "Which was all to my taste as those artifacts had chiefly been sold or stolen over and over again and were scattered far overseas, as far away from my homeland and they could be. It suited me nicely."  
  
Edema's eyes were wide in shock at the admission.  
  
He chose to glance once more on her. "It wasn't at all unusual. My family uses fertility spells and has an average of six children per couple. As we are artifacts of great cultural heritage even the ninja clans feel reluctance to kill us, but the atmosphere there is so intolerable that   
barely two children in ten remain home. I have a cousin almost as successful as I am. I haven't seen him in many years. The last time I ran into him he was a knight of greater fame than I was a monk, riding a great feathered serpent. We ran into each other on a trip being summoned   
to our homeland and he couldn't shut his mouth about how much he hated the place."  
  
The Mage grew very composed as he continued, closing his eyes and softening his voice. "Even my father's first wife ran out on him. She couldn't stand it anymore. Since my clan numbers quite a few mages of some repute she was sought, and when that failed to immediately turn up results a replacement was sought. In fact, a *duplicate* so that none would ever know she'd escaped the clan." He paused a moment here. "After summoning and binding a succubus with fell and powerful spells sufficient to hold and mold her, a quiet ceremony was held and she was made to alter   
her shape to that of the lost wife and take over so no one would notice."  
  
Edema was shocked at the amount of pain written there, as he said. "They really worked her over, changed her alignment, did a terrific job, but could never quite forget themselves that she was a fake, even after she did." Tears streamed from his eyes. "None of my brothers and sisters were ever normal in the eyes of the clan. My mother did a terrific job, she was more a supporter of the elvan ways of the clan than they were sometimes, but none of the others ever gave up on the thought that my   
siblings and I were half demon blood."  
  
The statement shocked the sorceress. "Ya'll have got *demon* blood in ya?" The idea did not seem to fit with the sparkling, splendid image presented by the Pheonix mage.  
  
That same mage nodded. "Fully half. I've ceased to let it trouble me. A very long while ago I realized that if I knew who I was myself I had nothing to prove to anyone else, and a lot of soul searching later I realized that I had nothing to prove to myself. I knew who I was, and those who refused to accept that were not worth the bother."  
  
He chuckled sadly and softly with closed eyes. "I've made only two trips home. The first was after *many* long years. I'd grown to forget what they were like somewhat, and all flushed with success I felt they would be impressed that I was coming home with the riches of adventuring all   
over me. I'd even reclaimed a clan artifact I'd been sent for and determined the fate of a lost cousin of mine, avenged his murder even. They said all the right things about that, but no sooner was I home then it was back to being ordered around, the unclean son of a demoness, and   
my wealth suddenly became theirs. When I left again I was penniless, even though a few of the magic items they took were made of the fires of my own resurrection by the ring of the pheonix where I'd died in battle to save my friends."  
  
He calmed down in the rush somewhat, still speaking with closed eyes. "No longer a full monk, I trained as a Wu Jen, an oriental mage who *also* dissolves all ties to family clan, and as a druid, something western and *foreign*. So foreign they had no hold on it. Yet the second time they called I still came, accompanied by my cousin who road the winged serpent. We responded to a call to battle, the clan was at war." He paused and took a deep and steady breath. "I was by then a warrior of fearsome aspect and a mage of no small repute, as well as a druid able to   
command the the entire establishment as a Heirophant. When I came it was with my band of adventuring friends by my side, we were a fearsome force and one to be reckoned with. Again they took all of my belongings they could lay hold on, but I had hidden most of them."  
  
His gaze alighted on the woman by his side. "Do you know what they did? My comrades and I were looking *forward* to a major land war! I could've won it almost by myself, and the friends I adventured with were also of great capability. Do you know what part in the war they gave us?" He paused, waiting for her answer. When she couldn't reply Jared went on. "None. They wanted nothing of us personally. I alone could've walked the battlefield and trounced half the enemy troops. My clan's forces were pitiful in comparison even to that enemy. Do you know what they asked us to do?"  
  
He sighed and paused, deeply into his story, looking away through the wall. "My eldest brother had been kidnapped and tossed into hell by an enemy spellcaster. He was a ninth level paladin, of no small repute but pitiful compared to what I am and nothing compared to the knight who was   
my cousin and was WITH me then. But it was our sole job, given to us by my grandfather, to venture across the planes and fetch him. Because HE was of my father's first wife and all of the clan pined, awaiting his return. All of the victory would be on his shoulders, and we were not to dare win the fight without him present to take full credit."  
  
The Pheonix Mage's head was now bowed fully toward the covers. "We walked away. I don't even know if my clan won that war, or even survived it. I know for certain that my eldest half-brother was never rescued from hell by my cousin or I."  
  
The gaze finally came to rest on Edema gently, with remorse yet kindness mingled in those blue eyes. "You know what? My grandfather is actually a good man, a paladin whose powers *demand* he serve good, but blind in so many ways. He sees something he thinks of as good and pursues that. In this case it was the clan, preserving his family. But he was so driven toward what he *thought* would achieve that goal that he was doing things that were destroying that family and making that very goal impossible. There comes a certain myopia to those who see a step toward the goal as the goal itself, they become blind to other things. It is the primary fault of good people trying to do what they think of as good, I know I've done it myself. The trouble comes that the longer it goes unquestioned the larger that myopia grows, until it can finally block out all of the goodness it was placed there by."  
  
The Mage lay down again, pulling the covers up to his chest. "There are people who think they are good, yet crawl so slowly away from it even as they still believe in their own goodness. It then comes to haunt the very forces *of* good because some of these people gradually getting more blind in pursuit of their desires are doing that which is at least selfish and sometimes evil, yet claiming they are good all the time. It has been a very great while since I've seen my grandfather, nicknamed 'Gloom' by my siblings, call upon any paladin powers."  
  
Blinking up at the ceiling, he said. "The only prerequisite to being evil is to forget what is wrong and what isn't, and the longer your goals go unquestioned, the longer your myopia grows, the worse it gets. I heard someone describe it once: Good and Evil is not a balance, it is a slide. Unless you are constantly climbing you are going down."  
  
He rolled over to look at her. "You have fought your entire life climbing up that slide. You don't need some of the baggage that's been hauling you down."  
  
She lay there looking at him for some time. "Ya'll meant more ta this than a bedtime story, dahlin. Ya'll had a greater point than that."  
  
He sighed, snuggling dreamily into his pillows again. "I wasn't born a bright elf. Neither were you. We all had traumatic pasts with families whose goals did not include any love for us. But it matters not so much what our troubles were, only how far we rise above them, and we can't do   
our best holding hurts close to our chests. There comes a time to let them go."  
  
She lay there, considering this.  
  
"And?"  
  
She was good, she was. It called to mind that she was a mage herself and a veteran of her own fights where cleverness meant as much as skill to survive. He drew forth a yawn sleepily. "I have a spell called Blessed Forgetfulness. It was designed by angels to cure victims of demonic   
torture and other such things, and what it does is take the barbs away. It works to heal the mind the same way other spells heal a wounded body. The facts are all still there, but the memory isn't still causing hurt anymore. Like leaving a particularly troublesome deformity behind. It just stops having power to focus and control your life. I can let you look over a copy of the spell in the morning. Naturally, when I tried to cast it on Grey it was a total disaster, but so far nothing has been much help to him. I begin to have idle curiosity whether Kami-sama could do that guy a favor and not have it go sour, miss the target, or get lost the first time Grey turned around."  
  
Edema fought hard against a smile. "Ah could let Fleece know ya'll maht be interested in the odds. Just fo curiosity's sake."  
  
Jared murmured sleepily into his pillow. "The actual hard part would be finding a way to get Kami-sama to do Grey a favor. He has His own ways, and I don't claim to understand them. Oh, and in my pack I have some ointment of scar removal, you can use that in the morning."  
  
Edema was just coming more awake. "Hold on there, dahlin. this heah's our weddin night. Twould spoil the whole thang lettin ya'll go ta sleep without a proper goodnight."  
  
Jared smiled into his pillow. ~Assessment of resolution: From crying and withdrawn to amorous and trying to be helpful. Definite upswing noted. Continue to apply kindness and understanding while patient is being observed. Build structures of love off of which to base further treatment   
as other problems arise.~  
  
~Victory!~   
  
-------  
  
Grey groaned and pulled an arrow out of his shoulder, wincing as the barbs worsened the wound. "That... was bad."  
  
Maya supported her fiance as they went past Mamoru in order for him to sit in one of the chairs. "That was very brave!"  
  
"-Maybe. i was *trying* to sneak, however. Hit a place on the deck covered in soapy water, and everything else just kinda happened.-"  
  
"Ah," said Maya who hadn't really caught any of that as he'd spoken in English.   
  
"So, Maya was in 'Treasure Island' and captured by the evil pirates?" Mamoru scratched his head. He hadn't remembered cannibal zombie pirates in the original story. Particularly ones that acted as if from the 'Evil Dead' movie. Though zombies around large bodies of salt water was a bit of a hazardous occupation anyway. "-What happened then?-"  
  
"-i managed to trip, grabbed a rope which snapped, and i went swinging like Tarzan across the ship, grabbed Maya before she ended up in the stewpot, and our combined weight when we hit the far wall broke us through. Did you know that zombies are injured by salt water?-"  
  
"-I think I read that somewhere,-" agreed Mamoru. He looked at the little hearts in Maya's eyes and was again glad this wasn't happening to HIM.   
  
"-The pirate king hit the water and boiled away to nothing. Ouch that hurts.-"  
  
Mamoru sighed, got a pair of pliers, and pulled another arrowhead out of Grey. "Hang on. You've got two more."  
  
Maya gently hugged her fiance. "Nobody's ever rescued me from hentai cannibal pirate zombies before!"  
  
"Yes, I would imagine that's fairly rare," indicated Mamoru as he tried to dig out another arrowhead. "-How many of them had bows anyway?-"  
  
"-Only twenty or thirty. The rest had cutlasses and other stuff. i didn't really get a chance to reconnoiter before everything hit the FAN! Eeeeeouch, that smarts.-"  
  
"-That one was fairly deep,-" indicated Mamoru.   
  
"-Well, at least Maya didn't get hit.-"  
  
Maya's eyes teared up. Nobody'd ever taken arrows in the back for her before. Especially while rescuing her from hentai cannibal pirate zombies on their ghost ship.   
  
"-Well, are you ready to rescue Usagi yet?-"  
  
"-Uhm, actually I thought I had, only it turned out to be...-" Mamoru's voice trailed off and he jerked his head towards the outside.  
  
Usagi stood there, wearing a gown far more ornate than she had as Princess Serenity. Not quite as ridiculous looking as some Victorian gown, though the trailing sleeves and multiple layers looked clumsy at least. It was also what Usagi Tsukino was surrounded by that caused Grey's eyebrows to lift.  
  
Seven short fellows, miners from their simple clothing, carrying nearly their own weight in steel weapons and armor, kneeling to their princess.  
  
"-None of them look particularly Dopey or Bashful,-" remarked Grey. "-More like Deadly, Dour, Dreadful, and a few other adjetives. They all look kinda Grumpy, but no Sneezy.-"  
  
Mamoru considered again the keg of rice wine he knew would be in the shrine office for ceremonial functions. "You know, we used to just have to worry about yoma out to harvest energy."  
  
"-Mamoru-san, I'm tired, I hurt, and I've got a long night ahead of me. Could you try at least using less difficult Japanese?-"  
  
Usagi bade her loyal subjects rise, and wondered exactly what use she could put five expert miners and two engineers to.  
  
Oh, and could she wear something that didn't threaten to constantly trip her up?  
  
--------  
  
Edema's smile was that of supreme satisfaction. She stretched in the luxuriant manner of a cat and continued to smile in that way that advertised "Victory" while she went about the usual business of her day.  
  
She was humming softly in a self-satisfied way.  
  
The counter help at the Heart of Darkest Chocolate were eying her suspiciously and gossiping among themselves as to the cause, though the lack of sunglasses and her color alteration drew almost as much speculation. They were assumed to be connected.  
  
Edema softly smiled, and got a hungry gleam to her eye that had nothing to do with chocolate, as she had a scoop poised and was paying no attention to it.  
  
Her skin color got forgotten by the trio of gossiping soda girls.  
  
Edema, whose cream colored dress no longer contrasted but served as an accent to her skin, gave a soft sigh of pleasure and brushed a strand of vibrant red hair out of her eyes, her thoughts on other things.  
  
Her peace came not only from... certain things, but a chance comment made by Jay-chan that was proving its own warm glow. She could no longer be assumed by default to be a bad guy from association. Her number of enemies, not to mentioned misunderstandings, had just dropped   
considerably, and her potential allies grown exponentially.  
  
Safety, or near so.  
  
It was a thought that had never occurred to her, but the idea of no longer needing to be so defensive was almost as delicious as...  
  
The counter help got more fuel to their gossip about as the dreamy smile passed over the Heart's proprietress' face.  
  
------------  
  
Grey had been startled to learn he was already considered a part of Rei's dreamscape.  
  
"Get him!" One huge mutant bodybuilder exclaimed to another. "With him captured, we can blackmail that Rei girl to work for us!"  
  
The giants had longer strides, but also *much* bigger masses and weren't nearly so motivated as Grey was.   
  
If he were Ranma Saotome instead of Grey Le Shard, he'd have beaten the giants senseless in a casual and irritating style. If he were the Pheonix Mage, there would be little bits of evil giants raining down over a large piece of the city. If he were Mamoru Chiba, he'd probably throw roses and building-leap away.  
  
Grey fled at high speeds, noting absently that he'd try out for the track team if he could find a way to duplicate this feat without having five 12ft tall refugees from "Mad Max" chasing his butt.  
  
"shhuuuuuuuuuu SHOU!"  
  
The giants stumbled to a halt. "Uh oh," said one of the brighter ones.  
  
"We were just making sure you two got together," tried a second giant. "Really."  
  
"We're not scared of you!"  
  
The two slightly brighter ones got away from the three others, including the one who had said that.  
  
There is something called a "Darwin Award" - an honor given posthumously for someone who has committed a blunder so amazingly stupid that they have done the gene pool a service by removing themselves from it.  
  
"Shouuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" Rei landed on the far side of the three Darwin Award nominees.  
  
The one who had spoken of lack of fear raised a section of sewer pipe he was using as a club. "Hah! We're too strong for a little girl like you!"  
  
Rei didn't turn, walking away from the three as if they were of no consequence.  
  
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" The pinheaded giant exclaimed and started to run forward. Only to suddenly die in a very graphic and messy manner.  
  
"Urk!" "AAAAaa!" "Oh no, not again!"  
  
Rei continued walking only to address the two who were attempting (unsuccessfully) to merge with the landscape. "Southern Cross School - Southern Crane Fist. I... AHHHH!"  
  
The two giants whimpered as they saw the shredded remains of their fellows, and the girl who *had* been ignoring them. Now that she was upset what would she do?!  
  
"I broke a nail, damn it!" Rei fretted, ignoring the way the ground then shook from the simultaneous double facefault from the mutants. "It's turning into one of *those* days, isn't it?"  
  
"Maybe we should play dead?" One giant whispered.  
  
"Better than being the real thing," muttered the other.   
  
-----------  
  
There were places in Heaven of transcendental beauty or gleaming perfect splendor. There were areas that resembled some vision of Viking Heaven as dreamed of by Jack Kirby, and there were Olympian areas of folded space that hurt mortal eyes. There were areas of just plain multidimensional alienness like Mimir's Well, and there were areas of Zen simplicity like the Ice Falls.  
  
The Alley Of Lingering Smells was not (as the Pheonix Mage put it) a slum. It was, however, considerably less than perfect. Unless you happened to be cut of the same mold as Phillip Marlowe, Sam Spade, or several other such characters. In which case it provided a place to be comfortable among all the gleaming perfection.  
  
So there were the faded and stained brick edifices of places like the Rival Relief Office and places like "Milly's Diner" - which catered to those who wanted to remember the imperfect food and simpler life that one could find in something akin to a truckstop.   
  
The whole area of the Alley was imperfect, but in such a way that it was merely comfortable to those used to a mortal existence or exotic to those who weren't. One wit had likened it to a favorite recliner - old and beaten and threadworn but still the one that everyone gravitated to when one wanted to relax.  
  
Naturally, some thought of the Alley as a blemish amongst all the gleam and sparkle. A slum in Heaven. A zit on the face of Perfection.   
  
The inhabitants also were a bit less than perfect. Well, at least the regulars were.  
  
Mambo Jack, for example, was a South Pacific urban legend of male virility. Kitchiri, the well intentioned but incompetent goddess of bimboness. Tennyson, the beholder god of "live and let live" philosophy. Grey, a silver dragon of many Aspects currently out on a Labor. Each had their rough edges: Mambo's lack of manners, for example, or Tennyson's unfortunate tendency to drool.   
  
And then there were others like Hebe and Amaterasu.  
  
Amaterasu was the Japanese sun goddess who had once locked herself in a cave because others were making fun of her. After some assertiveness training and associating with Valkyries, she had become less of an easily wilted wallflower and more of a warrior-goddess. She tended not to hang out with her own pantheon, most of whom she had little patience or tolerance for. She was high up within the Goddess Relief Office, and only showed up in this area at all because the RRO would come up with some interesting trinkets and tales from time to time. Ulterior motive? No, of course not.  
  
Hebe was of the Greek pantheon, and was a wallflower from *way* back. Quiet as a churchmouse, mainly dedicated to her field of proficiency - the upkeep and maintenence of the home, demure, polite. Hardly something to inspire armies to invade or anything of the sort. A bit earthy around people she knew, however.  
  
"...and how much good is any of that? Even when I go butting in and interfering, Rei was brushing off my advice up until she got hit with that love potion."  
  
Hebe smiled and nodded.  
  
"Speaking of THAT did you ever see such a mangled set of commands?" Amaterasu shook her head. "First there's some leftovers from that mind erasing and imprinting done by that Lethe daimon. Then you add this crap with the love potion and suddenly it's all messed up. Love potions *never* work right, that's why they're so cheap at all these magical stores. Might as well have used passion spice or that red thread thing..."  
  
Hebe smiled and gestured at the plate glass window of "Mimi's Authentic Elven Waybread". The glass briefly fogged.  
  
----------  
  
"Rei," Grey said while panting, "i'm so glad you're OK."  
  
Rei walked forward, smiling oddly.   
  
"Uhm, Rei? What are you doing?"  
  
Rei brought her hands up. "Shuuuuuu- SHOU!"  
  
---------  
  
Amaterasu blinked as Grey's clothes came apart in tiny little pieces.  
  
"As you can see, Ama," Hebe continued, walking by the image, "Rei seems to have the situation well in hand. Or is at least trying to."  
  
"..."  
  
Hebe looked back, seeing a chase scene where Grey (obviously thinking Rei had flipped out) was running while trying to cover his anatomy, while Rei pursued with slow inevitability. "Her approach needs some work, however."  
  
"..."  
  
"Give her an 'A' for effort, 'D-' for application," Hebe critiqued. "If she catches him with *that* kind of seduction effort, he'll be permanently scared off. Guys like him can handle aggressive up to a point, but she's crossing that line by damn near a light-year."  
  
"..."  
  
"And slicing that door to shreds with her hands? Think *that* image is going to be easily forgotten? He's got enough imagination that he can see it happening to him. Nope. I'd say she's got her hands full. Well, almost *that* time."  
  
"..."  
  
Hebe glanced over at her friend of several centuries. "Ama, you've been married TWICE. You had a fling with Zeus, hung around with Apollo and some of the other stud-boys and we both know damn well how *crude* we Greeks can be. Stop staring. You've seen naked guys before."  
  
"..."  
  
"Yeesh, Ama. It's like you haven't..." Hebe thought. "Damn. Well, I guess it *has* been a couple of centuries at least, hasn't it? Not since that... No, you didn't get to first base with him did you?"  
  
"..."  
  
Hebe sighed, and because she *was* Amaterasu's friend, used her own hankerchief to wipe the little trail of drool. "Ama. Remember your dignity. He's a *mortal.* You'd have to use an avatar just to get past necking without accidently incinerating him or something."  
  
"..."  
  
Hebe dismissed the vision, then settled back against the wall to let her friend collect what was left of her wits. It looked like it might take awhile.  
  
------  
  
Mamoru saw Grey return, clutching shredded clothing, wearing only an expression of terror, with Rei steadily advancing towards him. "I don't want to know. I am *not* going to ask."  
  
Rei froze on seeing Mamoru and her bedroom. "It wasn't a dream?"  
  
Grey shook his head frantically. Mamoru simply said "no."  
  
Turning bright red for the brief moment she was still in the room, Rei vanished quickly into the bathroom.  
  
"-Uhm, are there any clothes here?"-  
  
Mamoru shook his head once. "The only clothes here are Rei's clothes."  
  
"Oh great..."  
  
"Sempai, did you...?!" Hotaru's eyes grew large.  
  
Grey attempted to cover himself with the shreds of clothing he'd been able to keep. He wasn't nearly able to recover any shreds of dignity at the moment.  
  
"Man, I needed that... Hel-LO!" Misato looked over the guy with the ridiculously tiny shreds of what looked to be a shirt once upon a time.  
  
"-Would someone at least close the damn door, i'm getting a draft here.-"  
  
Mamoru took a moment to step next door, ring the temple bells, clap his hands three times, rubbing them up and down, and give thanks that this had NEVER happened to him.  
  
Misato got a mischievious glint to her eyes. "Gee, ya look kinda cold there. Maybe..."  
  
"...sempai?!" Hotaru said in a very small voice.  
  
Now crouching in a tiny ball, Grey grumbled. "-Some clothes please? A guy could catch pneumonia or something.-"  
  
"-Oh stop whining, you're a boy you know,-" Misato quipped, looking through Rei's closet. She paused to leer suggestively at him. "-Yup, definitely a boy!-"   
  
Hotaru decided to look elsewhere, though privately she was cursing her newly youthened state. If she were fourteen again, she'd be in a far better position to appreciate this, or so she thought.  
  
"My goodness, look at some of this stuff!" Misato held up something that Hotaru supposed was clothing. Except that the areas of coverage seemed a bit off.  
  
"That looks kind of..." Hotaru wasn't sure what to call it.  
  
"Yeah, it IS kind of," snickered Misato. "Oh, maybe this would look good on him!"  
  
"That's a girls' yukata," pointed out Hotaru.  
  
"Like he's gonna be able to tell?" Misato smirked a lot. She was *just* drunk enough that this was quite amusing. "Why do I think you're not going to be any fun?"  
  
"-Clothes? Please? Something? Somebody?-"  
  
"Waaaaah!" Usagi came in the door, saw all this going on, and her pigtails stuck briefly straight up.  
  
"-Oh great. NOW what?-" Grey asked his knees. "-Heck, what *is* the word for clothes in Japanese anyway?-"  
  
Mamoru re-entered the room at a run upon hearing Usagi scream, saw what Misato was holding up, and decided they should be elsewhere. "Uhm, Usako, we should be seeing if those dwarves are done building their de-juicer for Chibiusa."  
  
"Yeah, I think so..." Usagi said, covering her eyes and leaving.  
  
Rei stepped out of the bathroom, noticed Grey was still naked, and noticed the piece of clothing Misato had now pulled out of the closet. "Eeeeeek!"  
  
"-Clothes?-"  
  
"Can you imagine him in this?" Misato said with an evil gleam.  
  
Hotaru glanced at the things Misato was examining, then quietly found a long sleeved T and a pair of jeans to hand to her sempai.   
  
"Thank you, Hotaru-chan," Grey said, reached for the clothing, saw Hotaru's eyes bug then went back to covering himself. Then grabbed the clothes anyway and tried to set a speed record for leaping into a pair of jeans.  
  
Misato waited until Grey had the pants on, noting that what would have been tight on Rei looked uncomfortably so on the boy. "Oh, don't worry about it. I'm sure Rei is more than happy to have you get inside her pants."  
  
Rei had thought she had been about at the limits of embarrassment before. She considered bopping her former teacher on the head for proving her wrong.  
  
Grey zipped up, eeped, unzipped and tried to shift around before zipping back up. Without looking obvious. He failed miserably, and eyes were tearing by the time he unzipped. "-This isn't going to work...-"  
  
"-Damn, that looked like it hurt,-" remarked Misato. "Maybe we ought to go with the priestess robes. They ought to fit at least."  
  
"Hey, those jeans cost me a LOT! You're gonna bust the seams!" Rei said, though her gaze never left certain portions of anatomy.  
  
"Sempai, are you hurt?" Hotaru winced. Okay, it was *obvious* that that hurt. Maybe even worse than the arrow wounds.  
  
"-This has *not* been a very good day,-" complained Grey, not that anyone was currently paying attention to what he was saying. Noticing one of the book-prisons nearby, Grey grabbed it, hoping that jumping into *this* dreamscape would at least get him some clothing.  
  
================  
  
end chapter 18, this story will go on brief hiatus while i go back and remove those sections.  
  
ja ne,  
  
gregg  
  



	19. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 19

Chapter 19, A Soldier's Duty  
4th Labor  
  
  
After seeing the book blurring and trying to mutate, Grey wasn't sure what to expect. This hadn't made the list. Hotaru had been in "Hansel & Gretel" with Misato Katsuragi, Ritsuko Akagi, and Maya Ibuki. Maya Tono had been by herself in some bizarre "Treasure Island" variant. Rei had been in "Fist Of The Northstar". Chibiusa had been in Willie Wonka's factory, while Usagi had recruited seven dwarves from "Snow White".  
  
The finger-cymbals set up a steady rhythm among the whirling silks as she danced. The bells on the anklets chimed, and additional music played from from an identical twin in similar garb to the dancer.  
  
Grey, having been practically thrown onto the seating cushions at the back of the tent, stared. He *was* a fifteen year old boy, and not sufficiently worldly or experienced that he could take this completely in stride. Though embarassment was allowing him some distance. Especially as he was currently trying to hide his privates with one of those cushions, as his clothing had not magically reappeared upon entering this dreamscape.  
  
The music continued to swirl faster, as did the belly dancer. She gyrated, leapt, posed, and moved in such a way that if Grey was NOT feeling nearly so self conscious, he would have experienced a nosebleed and fainted.  
  
Finally the music swirled slower, and the Dancer ended her dance by posing over Grey like a cresting wave. The music ended, and the dancer leaned close, causing Grey to fall backwards in order to not be a naked boy draped in nearly naked girl.   
  
She rested her fingertips, feather light, upon his shoulders. Then the wave receded, keeping the light touch as her fingers traced down his body.  
  
Finally grabbing the pillow and snatching it away.  
  
Grey went into hormonal overload and had the required nosebleed and fainted, overwhelmed at last.  
  
Phobos winced as she saw this. "Well darn. That wasn't what I intended at all."   
  
Deimos sighed and put away her instrument. "Hardly how I wanted to celebrate getting a human shape again."  
  
Phobos and Deimos exchanged a look. "Our luck sucks."  
  
--------  
  
Staring seemed appropriate.  
  
Queen Serenity hadn't been quite sure what to expect. Being trapped in a dreamscape by someone else, she expected to run into something horrific. Perhaps something from one of those Clive Barker or Stephen King films. Like that first dreamscape, though for some reason all the details seemed fuzzy until she'd opened a portal and stepped through to what she'd *thought* was another section of the same virtual reality.  
  
"Excuse me, would you happen to have any honey?"  
  
Queen Serenity, the dignified matriarch of the Moon Kingdom, tried not to sweatdrop as she shook her head.  
  
"Oh," said the short golden bear in the red t-shirt with an air of disappointment. "Well, it was too much to hope for. I haven't seen you around here before. Are you here for Mr Rabbit's tea party?"  
  
The Queen reflected that she hadn't been to a tea party in quite some time. Partly because she simply didn't care for tea. Like Bennu, she held to the religious practices of the ancient Prophets.   
  
Associating with fictional characters wasn't prohibited as far as she knew, so the Queen nodded. In order to get out of this dreamscape, she needed to find and fulfill whatever silly condition was required of "Yes, show me to this 'tea-party.'"  
  
Winnie (sometimes called Pooh) led the Queen to the correct house, though what she heard on coming to the white picket fence was discouraging to say the least.  
  
"There once was a queen named Serenity  
to whom good sense was an enemy.  
She shortened her skirt,  
like a brazen old flirt,  
then turned a father to enmity."  
  
"That is *not* how it went," said Serenity, recognizing the limerick that Bennu had developed that had gotten him banned from court.  
  
Queen Serenity looked over the fence. A large lioness. A batwinged redhaired girl. A male humanoid rabbit. Oddly enough, the girl with the batwings *felt* like someone from the Silver Millenium, but she was pretty sure she'd never met such a one.  
  
-------  
  
Hotaru spent a few moments staring. A four foot wide blueberry, being rolled up a ramp by seven dwarves, crying about how unfair all this was, and ending with a "Ryouga Hibiki, this is all your fault!"   
  
While in the background a white teddy bear was lecturing the blueberry on the need to try and act with a bit of dignity.  
  
Hotaru pursed her lips for a moment, then blinked. Nope, they were still there. "Okay, I think my Reality Check has just gotten an 'Insufficient Funds'." Hotaru spoke politely but it still carried.  
  
The blueberry glared briefly at her, the latest in a long series of tormentors, before she was loaded into a large device by the aforementioned dwarves.  
  
Usagi came running up, followed by Mamoru.  
  
"Chibiusa, I can try using the Crystal on you."  
  
"Mamaaaaa! I wanna go home!" Home was boring. Home was lonely. Home didn't have her getting turned into a big blueberry and then rolled around the yard by some dwarves so she could be put into an untested juicing machine.  
  
"Chibiusa, be strong," advised Mamoru. After all, what *does* one say to your daughter in this sort of circumstance?  
  
"We can still try the Juicer," suggested the lead dwarf.  
  
"Try the Crystal! Momma! I don't wanna be squeezed!"  
  
Hotaru shook her head. She'd try to be this poor unfortunate's friend, but what do you say to a four foot tall blueberry?  
  
"Riceball, Tomoe-san?"  
  
Hotaru blinked and realized that the drummer girl was offering her food. "Yes. Thank you. It's been a little while."  
  
Tomo and Tomoe ate in companionable silence while Usagi turned Chibiusa back into a little girl.   
  
"Still blue," noted Maya Tono.  
  
Hotaru finished off the riceball and realized that she was still hungry. The witch hadn't fed them anything but slabs of stale gingerbread. Yech.  
  
Maya offered her last riceball, immediately earning her a "friend status" token with Hotaru.  
  
The two spent a few more moments of quiet watching the little blue girl sobbing and hugging Usagi, calling her "Momma" repeatedly.  
  
"Tsukino-san is kind of young to have a daughter that age," offered Maya while Hotaru ate.  
  
Hotaru finished licking grains of rice from her fingers before she answered. "Don't ask me, I don't know any of them either."  
  
"Chiba-san must like 'em young," Maya speculated, subtracting Usagi's apparent age from her "daughter's" age and coming up with very young.  
  
"Can't be that," Hotaru argued. "She wouldn't have even been through puberty yet."  
  
Maya inclined her head, conceding the point. "Weird though."  
  
"Not gonna argue," said Hotaru wearily. "I'd go home, but sempai could probably use someone to keep those pervert girls away from him."  
  
Maya nodded and got a pair of pants from the bag she'd gotten the riceballs from.  
  
Hotaru looked at a pair of biker's shorts and frowned. Obviously her new friend was a pervert. Well, at least she was a nice pervert.  
  
"Uhm," came a hesitant voice.  
  
Hotaru and Maya looked over to see her sempai, wearing a pair of Arabic-looking trousers and a sash, motioning to them. "Sempai?"  
  
"Errr. i hesitate this. Help will i need. Obsidian trap is... very bad."  
  
Looking at the book her sempai was indicating, Hotaru looked very nervous and couldn't help but agree.   
  
-------  
  
The group appeared, fading in so that they stood on a dirt path.  
  
Where Misato Katsuragi had gotten an assault rifle, nobody really wanted to ask.  
  
Rei had transformed to Sailor Mars and seemed to want to keep some distance between her and Grey. Getting *very* embarassed any time the two came physically close.  
  
Hotaru had transformed back to Sailor Saturn and held her Silence Glaive ready.  
  
Maya was nervous, hovering near her fiance's back, and trying to look in all directions at the same time. She held two wooden rods, and so could practice her martial art, but she'd *wanted* something more along the lines of what Misato had.  
  
Usagi had come along mainly out of duty. After all, the Knight Of Fear was one of her subjects. However she was nearly as nervous as Maya, even if she *had* transformed to Sailor Moon prior to this little trip.  
  
Two very short, slender, very leggy brunettes had been both delighted and disappointed on leaving their prison. Delighted that they were humanoid again and able to eat real food and engage in activities they had loved to do a lifetime ago. Disappointed in that they were just over two feet tall each. Which meant that they looked like faeries. The two had insisted they come along, and one was sitting on each of Grey's shoulders to "help him look for scaries."  
  
Oddly enough, the only one to buy this was Grey himself.  
  
Grey was glad that Phobos and Deimos were extremely light, but was having trouble getting the image of that dance out of his head. Only the knowledge of how nasty this situation was had kept him from getting a little freaked at having the twins remaining in close contact like this.  
  
Mamoru had stayed with Chibiusa, proving that he *did* have his moments of wisdom. Usagi was still upset at him for rescuing Chibiusa first, after all.  
  
"Awwwww cute!"  
  
Everyone swore as Sailor Moon went rushing off to heal a wounded animal.   
  
Grey quickly proved he still had a bit of the soldier Basalt in him. "Perimeter guard, everyone surround Usagi keep an eye on the person next to you and the jungle."  
  
"Moon... Healing... Activation!" Usagi threw her attack, and the large beast began to slowly get itself up.  
  
"Daughter, i really don't know how appropriate this is," said Grey, "but i don't think it is very wise at all."  
  
"GRUNK!" The large beast butted its head lightly against the twin ponytailed girl.  
  
"Waiiiii, I did it! I did it!" Sailor Moon jumped briefly up and down.   
  
"I thought triceratops were supposed to be kinda... gray or something," offered Saturn. "Not beige."  
  
"Hisssssss," said something as it began coming through the brush towards them, baring its teeth.  
  
"SILENCE GLAIVE SURPRISE!"  
  
"EAT HOT LEAD!"  
  
"FIRE SOUL!"  
  
Little smoking bits of poison spitting dinosaur rained briefly down.  
  
"Eeeew," said Maya Tono. She really regretted coming along. She'd had a bad feeling about it just on seeing that this was the novel version of "Jurassic Park". If "Treasure Island" had been bad, how much worse could *that* be? Something the taiko drummer didn't even want to consider. She'd put on a brave face, that hadn't lasted long.   
  
Grey had merely reached for a weapon that wasn't there.   
  
Sailor Moon posed on top of the triceratops, demonstrating that the multi-ton herbivores were actually pretty laid back.  
  
Saturn and Mars considered the moving patch of foliage to their North.   
  
Misato hefted something in her hand, removed a pin and threw it. "There are few problems that cannot be resolved with a suitable application of violence."  
  
"Isn't that supposed to be 'violence never solved anything'?" Maya asked with a wince as the grenade went off and a little geyser of reptillian parts was visible.  
  
"That's a laugh," said Misato. "Gandhi's philosophies only work if the other side cares. Violence isn't always the cleanest solution, but it gets used because it is effective. Then it is the winners who write history."  
  
Grey let out a deep breath. He'd have shrugged but he had two very short girls on his shoulders. "Let's keep moving. We don't want to get surrounded."  
  
Tensions were running high as the group made their way past various broken and twisted fences. They got more nervous upon seeing some of the tags on the cages. Nobody could remember "Maiasaurus" being in the movie. An acid melted section of fence was likewise concerning. Deposits of some odd resinous compound caused enough rattled nerves that Sailor Mars flash-fried a squirrel.  
  
The triceratops was following Sailor Moon around like a 15 ton puppy. Which considerably reduced their stealth factor. Then she got the idea of riding it, which at least cut down on the times it accidently knocked her over.  
  
What everyone was concerned about were the poison spitters, the velociraptors, and...  
  
"RRRRAAAAAA!" An allosaurus rushed forward, scenting prey.  
  
"EEEEEEK!" Maya Tono, taiko drummer, attempted to hide in Grey's shirt.  
  
"EEEEK!" "EEEEP!" Phobos and Deimos were successful in hiding in Grey's shirt.  
  
"EEEP!" Grey wasn't reacting to the allosaurus so much as that he had one girl clamped on tight enough that he couldn't breathe, while two girls had just dived into his shirt.  
  
"Yaaaah!" Misato started firing bursts, she was a little unnerved however and managed to miss the allosaurus. Not that a 7.62mm assault rifle had sufficient penetration for this job anyway.  
  
"Burning... MANDALA!" Rei started firing bursts of her own.  
  
Sailor Saturn started whipping her glaive around. "Silence Glaive Surprise!"  
  
"GRONK!"   
  
"WHoooaaaaaaa!"  
  
Everyone looked from the obviously surprised allosaurus (whose head had survived and was still falling towards the ground) to where the triceratops was leaving at high speed from the battlesite. Charging, in fact, towards the *second* allosaurus at high speed.   
  
Usagi, still on her triceratops' back, was not too enthused about this latest development.  
  
---------  
  
Queen Serenity had been ready for weird. After all, it was typical of dreamscapes such as this to have odd bits put in by the programmers, and sometimes from the dreamer herself without intending to.  
  
So the humanoid rabbit, no doubt the "Mister Rabbit" referred to by the bear, was taken in stride. The large lion with the flaming tail tuft was likewise dismissed, other than to wonder how the beast drank tea.  
  
The redhaired girl with the batwings was a little more odd.  
  
"Oh, Serenity-sama! Good ta see ya! How's it going?"  
  
That the redhaired batwinged girl KNEW her made it quite odd.  
  
Pursing her lips, the Queen scanned briefly. The lion, the rabbit, and the bear were NOT members of her court. The redhead was... related to Basalt?  
  
The Queen had dismissed her Consort, Basalt, decades before the Moon Kingdom had fought its final battle. Enough time for a wandering Knight to have fathered another child besides the Princess. The Queen's eyes narrowed and she frowned.   
  
"Oh, you probably don't know anyone here," said the redhead with a giggle. "I'm Ranko, of course. This is Akane."  
  
The lion ducked her head. "A Ka Ne."  
  
"...and this is Mister Rabbit, and that's Winnie the Pooh of course. Oh and this is Totoro. Everyone, this is Queen Serenity. I was just telling you all about her." Ranko grinned at the Queen and winked. "So, Serenity-san, what brings you here?"  
  
The Queen let a deep breath out, deciding to ignore the insult of being addressed so familiarly.   
  
"So how's it going with my brother, anyway?" Ranko went briefly into mock-scold. "Or did you decide you wanted Bennu after all?"  
  
Queen Serenity was about to say something impolite when the idea registered. Brother was obviously incorrect as she knew full well that Basalt had no sisters. Bennu was certainly attractive enough, powerful enough, and had a bit of a reputation as far as once he'd gotten the idea that something was important, he'd throw everything he had into the research and practice of that until he was a master. Speculation among the younger members of the Palace had (of course) suggested that when he became a husband...  
  
Ranko wondered why Queen Serenity was blushing like that for a moment, then got a sly look.  
  
Meanwhile, the Queen was still running through possibilities. She had to punish Basalt for his unfaithfulness, of course. That was such a given that she didn't even think about it except as a required goal. Why not turn to Bennu? She'd have to dismiss all those lovestruck young maidens, and do something about that disrespectful attitude. It would certainly make Basalt jealous as well.  
  
The Queen of the Moon Kingdom nodded graciously to "Ranko" as she finally seated herself. "Yes. As you say. We have decided to accept Bennu as a Consort for a trial basis, at least."  
  
---------  
  
The intrepid adventurers (Grey Le Shard, Maya Tono, Phobos, Deimos, Misato Katsuragi, Sailor Mars, Sailor Saturn, Sailor Moon, and a triceratops) were not happy campers.  
  
They were cut from numerous plant fronds, bitten by various overlarge insects (the sailorsuited ones particularly suffering from this problem due to the amount of flesh being shown), attacked by numerous carnivorous dinosaurs who apparently wanted a change of diet from eating the other dinosaurs, and various other causes.   
  
Particularly bad on these other causes was Sailor Mars, who had discovered that rich volcanic earth + red high heels = a not particularly compatible mix. Hence her having to go back and pick them up several times, and her being introduced to large rocks when they got stuck. They had eventually made better time by having Mars join Moon in riding the triceratops.  
  
Sailor Moon's nerves were shot. As had been amply demonstrated, pseudo-reptillian fanged horrors could erupt from almost any direction. Pterodactyls and smaller winged carnivores, or just large bugs, from above. From the foliage, those poison spitters, huge snake-like critters, and small pack whatever-you-call-those flitters. From underground, so far, just some variety of poisonous snake. They didn't worry about those too much, as a triceratops stepping on them usually dealt with the ones that didn't pay attention to all the approaching feet.  
  
Also on the triceratops was Maya Tono. Currently passed out as that one group of relatively tiny dinosaurs had tried to pounce on her and carry her off into the foliage. She had gone completely berserk, striking out with her sticks at everything within range while shrieking at the top of her lungs. And had run headfirst into a large rock.  
  
Misato was currently soaking wet from a stream. She had found, despite the fact that this was supposed to be an island, a patch of quicksand. Or perhaps quickmud would be a better description. She'd rinsed off as soon as they found some clean (relatively) water. And then she'd gotten quite upset at finding leeches. She was also down to two clips and three grenades, and complaining about only having the UN rifle when she now wanted something in the *huge* caliber range, with rocket launcher.  
  
Grey was currently wearing a pair of Arabic style pants, plus a shirt that he'd gotten from Rei that mostly fit, though two pair of eyes peeking from between the buttons revealed that Phobos and Deimos were mainly staying under cover. He was also wearing a blackening eye that had occurred when Maya had still been in her "hysterically attacking anything even vaguely near her" phase. He also was tired enough that he wasn't jumping at shadows, but still quite nervous. Misato had almost pulled him into that quicksand, and rescuing Rei from a large carnivorous plant after she'd tripped and fallen into its grasp had given him several puncture wounds from the thorns. Rescuing Hotaru from that spider-thingie had added sticky and a large bite to several other wounds he'd gotten so far over the past couple of days. Returning back to the United States was beginning to sound *really* good.  
  
Hotaru had been snared by a venomous spider about the size of her head, and one that apparently had very strong sticky webs. Her sempai had helped her out, though Rei had burned away the webs and actually hit Hotaru with the Burning Mandala as well as a large patch of the surrounding jungle. Which left Sailor Saturn with a few cobwebs on her still, some bug spatter, and a number of burns.  
  
Which is why they all came to a halt on entering a clearing and at last coming face-to-face with the poor soul trapped here.  
  
"Hey guys, what took you so long?" Obsidian went back to cleaning his knives.   
  
"Uhmmmf," said Grey, falling to his knees.  
  
Obsidian finished cleaning a knife, which immediately vanished to somewhere on his person. Then climbed down the stack of dinosaur carcasses towards a small fire. "If any of you are hungry, those small feathered flying things taste just like chicken."  
  
"Urk," commented Rei.  
  
The Knight of Fear gestured towards the back of the pen, where two velociraptors cringed against a wall. "Yeah, I tell ya, I was gettin bored. Was gonna see if I couldn't get something to rig a dehydrator, make some jerky out of those big uns. Though they seem to have a *lot* of gristle. Probably have to boil the meat to make it tender enough to work otherwise. The smaller ones seem OK."  
  
Hotaru looked around the compound. "Well, that at least explains where the T-rex went..."  
  
Obsidian glanced up. "Hey, Ace. Company coming."  
  
Everyone conscious looked in the direction that Obsidian had indicated and saw the air ripple and then displace.  
  
Setsuna glided away from the ripple and broke into a bright smile on seeing the group. "Bas-sama!"  
  
Grey smiled up at Setsuna. "Well good, you managed to get free on your own! Glad to see you... uhm is something wrong?"  
  
Setsuna had turned pale and was staring. "Oh no. It can't be. The Sailor of Death - Sailor Saturn?"  
  
Much confusion met that statement.  
  
"It's just Hotaru," tried Grey. "You remember Hotaru, don't you?"  
  
"If Sailor Saturn awakens, the world will die," the former Sailor Pluto said, swinging her Power Key Staff to point at Saturn. "For the sake of the world, Sailor Saturn must die."  
  
Seeing a fight (for whatever reason) about to break out, Grey decided to try using the "magic words" (code phrase to break out of the simulation) before things got even more complicated. "...and they all lived happily ever after!"  
  
--------  
  
Mamoru enjoyed the relative quiet. He got very little of it.  
  
While he dearly loved his "Usako", she tended to try and fill any moments of silence with what was often inane chattering. He was hoping she'd grow out of it.   
  
Their visit to the future Crystal Tokyo had revealed that his future self wore a mask constantly to conceal the dark rings around his eyes, and that future self had tried to signal him without letting Usagi see, so *something* (besides the Dark Moon) wasn't going well in the future.  
  
Chibiusa was sleeping and apparently OK. If one ignored her blue hair, blue skin, blue eyes, etcetera. He thought it likely that these pigmentation changes would fade out normally. And if not, well, there were worse things.  
  
Nearby was sleeping the little blonde girl Ritsuko. Maya Ibuki, the blonde's guardian, had gone home. Mamoru was glad that Chibiusa had a girl her own age to be pals with, even if the other had shown signs of a cruel streak.  
  
The air shimmering brought Mamoru's attention to the yard. The "Jurassic Park" novel glowed and started falling apart, much like the other books had when the prisoner had been set free.  
  
"GRUNK!"  
  
Mamoru raised his eyes heavenward, thanking kami-sama he'd never had something like this happen to *him.*  
  
---------  
  
"-You two KNOCK IT OFF! Errr, someone tell me what 'knock it off' is in Japanese?-"  
  
"Well, maybe the change to the timestream includes that Sailor Saturn doesn't destroy the Earth," allowed Setsuna as she faced her opponent. Not that she was relaxing her guard though.  
  
Hotaru took a step backwards as her sempai now was confronting HER with that glare. "...maybe I shouldn't have called her an 'old hag'."  
  
Grey groaned and shifted a shirt that was stuck to him where various wounds had plastered themselves to that covering. "-You two act your age, will you? i've still got to rescue Sakura, Ayane, Kasumi, Morrigan, Queen Serenity, Ami, Minako, Makoto, Eudial, Honey, Haruka and Michiru. Chiba-san, who's next in the most danger?-"  
  
---------  
  
The Lord Of The Castle summoned his newest acquisition. He was curious, she hadn't seemed that resourceful earlier, but apparently she'd managed to escape this pocket universe and flee into an entirely different one. Well, when he got done, he would have taken her body and soul, and then all her secrets would be his.  
  
The air shimmered and the woman in the gown reappeared, eyes glassy from the force of his mental domination. She walked slowly forward, then knelt before her lord and master, baring her neck for his touch.  
  
"A KA ne!"  
  
The Lord Of The Castle blinked and regarded the odd group stepping through the slowly closing rift. This was odd, but some responses were obvious. A gesture summoned his other brides, who could restrain this lot.  
  
"Hey you! Let that Queen go!" A batwinged redhead pointed at him. "Queens ain't for snacking on!"  
  
"Aka NEEE!" *FWOOOOOOM!*  
  
Being consumed in flame, two of the Lord's brides looked rather startled.  
  
"Who dares to enter Castle Dracula?" Vlad looked over the group. That girl had some powerful lifeforce. What a tasty treat her blood would provide!  
  
"Ranko Saotome!" The batwinged girl said, tapping her bracers. Suddenly she had a very menacing looking weapon in her hands.  
  
"Akane!" *FWOOOM!* *FWOOOM!" The lion was surrounded by little golden flames but she was spitting out gouts of red flame that seemed to incinerate zombies quite well and was proving quite effective against vampire brides as well.  
  
"I just knew this was going to be a horrible idea," grumbled a bluish donkey.  
  
"Terribly sorry about this, but what you are doing is *quite* impolite," lectured a bear. "We were about to have some tea with our honey."  
  
"Let me at him, let me at him, I'll murtalize him!" A cloth tiger bounced around on his tail and made boxing motions.  
  
Vlad sighed and made a gesture with one hand. The various opponents were thrown back against the walls by an unseen force. "This is tiresome. It is so hard to get good help nowadays."  
  
"Then maybe i've come at the wrong time."   
  
Vlad Tepes, Dracula, could feel a migraine coming on. He turned and leapt, fangs extending as he prepared to remove this annoyance.  
  
"Holy power, purest light,  
cleanse this foul blight,  
strike this evil from my sight.  
HOLY!"  
  
Dracula was a powerful vampire and resisted the full force of the purifying spell. Though thrown across the room and smouldering, he was far from defeated.  
  
"AKANE! INFERNA!" Flames formed a coccoon to surround the vampire.  
  
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *Ra-ta-ta-tat-tatat!* Ranko was sweet and innocent, mainly. Stupid was not the same thing. Having been given those weapon bracers, she was loathe to use them even defensively. Against powerful evil bloodsucking vampires, she was a touch less reluctant.  
  
Queen Serenity looked up and realized that her Basalt had come to her rescue. She smiled as she let unconsciousness claim her. No doubt the ploy with Bennu to make him jealous would allow him to realize that they really were fated to be together.  
  
Grey looked over at... Winnie The Pooh? And Tigger too?  
  
"Hi! I'm Ranko," a girl with batwings and redhair exclaimed. "We've got to go back to the Thousand Acre Wood now, this is just a cameo appearance."  
  
Grey nodded, not understanding at all.   
  
------------  
  
"Ami?"  
  
"The Evangelion world, that Saint Saeya fusion world, and the SM world where he was Mamoru Tengoku."   
  
Mambo Jack nodded. "I thought Makoto was Apple was his gal in that one."  
  
"Yeah," Fleece responded, "so was Hotaru/Grape and Honey/Minako."  
  
"Honey was Minako? Then who was Honey?"  
  
"Honey was Minako, Melon was Honey," clarified Fleece.   
  
"Well what about Minako?"  
  
"There was that Urusei Yatsura/Sailor Moon fusion world."  
  
Mambo Jack looked confused. "Was that one where the Moonies were the aliens?"  
  
"Nope," Fleece manipulated a scrying globe. "Another one entirely. See, here's Grey inserted as an alien who is to play tag against Minako Aino. She sees the publicity this brings her, figures some guy will come and sweep her off her feet as a result, and declares she will be married as she finally catches him. With predictable consequences."  
  
"Plotlines from both SM and UY, huh?" Mambo Jack considered. "Well, what about that Setsuna chick?"  
  
"Other than the relationship between them during the Millenium, there was only..." Fleece's mouth snapped shut and her eyes grew wide. "...the time in the Third Labor."  
  
"What?" Mambo asked, seeing Fleece react like that indicated a *major* revelation had just occurred to the Goddess (Third Class, Probationary) of the Quick Yen.  
  
Fleece hit her head with the palm of one hand. "I can't believe I missed that! This is going to skew the betting all to he- he- heCK!"  
  
"WHAT?!" Mambo Jack was puzzled. "What? What did I miss?"   
  
"No time! I've got to research this!"  
  
----------  
  
On a Sabre Marionette timeline, a world named Terra Two (or Terratoo, depending on who you talked to) was in a rather delicate situation.  
  
Despite the actions and speeches of the dark elven girls known as the Sailor Sundaes (at least currently, they frequently changed their sentai group's name) it looked as if the two major groups would escalate tensions into a full scale war.  
  
Even with the new marionettes patterned after the catgirl Nabiki that had appeared briefly (and had gotten along rather well with Doctor Lorelei prior to Lorelei's disappearance) and having the upgraded speed and agility, plus the Ishii Kairo developed by Mamoru Tengoku prior to *his* disappearance, Japonesse was not really in a position of strength.  
  
Japonesse had lost Lorelei, had committed resources to upgrading defenses, and had committed still more resources to raising the children for the next generation. They had lost several bright young players in their recent technological upswing. They had lost the computer and AI expert Lorelei, the innovative marionette repairman Mamoru Tengoku, and the Outsider known as Sakyo had encoded all her notes so that the technological glut wouldn't be overwhelming all at once. Japonesse still had the edge over most of the other Terratoo "native" countries in their innovations of their android development. However they were a "one trick pony" in that regard - relying entirely on marionettes for defense.  
  
New Texas had developed powerful marionettes too. However, their faith was mainly in their human troops and tanks.  
  
Geltland, Peruburu, and the other countries were *much* further back in the running.  
  
The Mesopotamia forces had much more powerful weaponry, troops who were trained much more effectively, and no compunctions about destroying marionettes or dark elves who opposed them. Whereas the "native" forces were all too aware of the loss of either group. The marionettes with Virgin Circuits were considered quite precious, those with Ishii Kairo only slightly less so, while the darkskinned girls were considered crazy but cute. The catgirl androids, somewhat strange, but greatly appreciated. Even their enemy were regarded as a resource that they didn't want to harm, representing both ties to their past and a genetic treasure for their future.  
  
Then someone unknown kidnapped each and every one of the marionettes equipped with Virgin Circuits. That left the sophisticated engram-related units like Tamasaburo and Baiko, plus the units like the Sabre Marionette O series that were computer controlled. Also were the, in terms of raw horsepower, less powerful units equipped with Ishii Kairo.  
  
It was into this explosive mix that five Ranmas entered.  
  
---------  
  
Ami backed up alongside Ameow. This looked bad.  
  
"Oh hohohohohohohohoho!" The Red Queen laughed as she cracked her whip. "Take BOTH of them to the Tart Factory my mindless minions!"  
  
"Who's she calling mindless?" One of the playing cards sounded quite put upon.  
  
Ami tried something different. "There's no place like home." *click* "There's no place like home." *click* "There's no place like home." *click*  
  
Ameow rolled her eyes. "Wrong story."   
  
"Worth a try," responded Ami.  
  
The playing cards began moving closer, shock-prods held at the ready.   
  
"Pity that you're not Sailor Mercury anymore," remarked Ameow. "So, you suppose the Red Queen there is a projection of your resentment of Usagi?"  
  
"I suppose," Ami said in an uncertain tone. "What do you suppose a 'Tart Factory' is?"  
  
"Nya, Ameow supposes it would depend on your definition of 'tart' - either a small meat pie or a girl of questionable morals."  
  
Both looked at the leather-clad, whip cracking, thoroughly hentai, redhaired version of Usagi Tsukino. Then at the playing cards. Each of the girls was wearing a number of their suite's symbols, and nothing else except stilleto heels.   
  
"This could be bad," murmurred Ami, drawing behind Ameow slightly.  
  
Ameow hissed, baring fangs and flicking her fingers wide to show her claws. "It'll be bad for them if they threaten US."  
  
The Red Queen held up a hand. "Just give us the human. That way, you can return to your world and take her place."  
  
Ami eeeped as she saw the temptation hit the catgirl. If Ameow returned without Ami, she'd go after Grey-san. Whereas Ami herself wasn't interested. Grey-san was nice, kind, thoughtful, and amusing. And he just didn't do anything for her. There was no chemistry.  
  
"Have him all to myself, hmmmmm," Ameow seemed to consider this very carefully. "Nya. Ameow is a hero, and even if it would be convenient, heroes don't do that sort of thing. Ne, Ami?"  
  
Ami agreed, though *logically* the deal was a good one.   
  
*CRACK!* The whip snapped and the Queen gestured to her assembled troops. "Then we'll just have to see about adding a couple of new Tarts. Get them!"  
  
-----  
  
Grey grabbed Mineko Aino as the werecheetah was being chased by a certain Wile E Coyote.  
  
He managed to intervene before crowds of torch-bearing townfolk stormed the cottage currently occupied by Morrigan Aenslad. Not that these posed any more danger to her than the Warner Brothers character had posed a credible threat to Mineko Aino.  
  
The cleric of crossovers, Bast, and humor merely hugged Makoto Kino to him and repeated the phrase to break out of her dreamscape. As this was seconds before she would have ended up being devoured by thousands of skeletal rats, who had finally managed to corner her, Makoto had to be physically pried off of Grey when they arrived in Rei's shrine. It took the combined efforts of Setsuna, Mineko, Rei, Serenity, Maya (Tono), and Morrigan to do this. Misato merely laughed her butt off during this time.  
  
Honey Kisaragi was rescued from a version of "Frankenstein" that would have alarmed and scandalized Mary Shelley. The Wizard's hentai tastes having influenced this dreamscape as well.  
  
The samurai girl, Sakura Shinguchi, was pulled from a strange version of "Three Little Pigs". Her house of twigs had fallen apart, and then she'd taken some attacking wolf's head off with her sword. The only danger she'd felt had been boredom.  
  
The tomboyish Haruka Ten'ou was *very* upset. She had been stuck in "Peter Pan" - you see, and not as Wendy. Which meant that she was about a foot high, with delicate little wings, and wearing a pair of leaves that had been fashioned into a clumsy dress. While it had been relatively easy rescue, Grey had fallen on Captain Hooker, and he'd found the flashlight that "Tinkerbell" had been sealed inside - Haruka was a *very* unhappy pixie.   
  
The rescue of Michiru Kaioh was relatively easy, as she had been cast as Sleeping Beauty. Grey had (reluctantly and very lightly) kissed her, as having her in a cursed sleep when they returned might pose problems. He then said the phrase, returning to the Hikawa Shrine with her as she stirred. Unfortunately, Michiru had apparently mistaken Grey somehow for Haruka as she slowly awakened. Which surprised him as he'd abruptly found her nails digging into his back, her mouth fastened on his as if she were trying to fuse their mouths together, and one of her legs wrapping around one of his own and forcing his legs apart. That lasted for a shocked moment before everyone started prying the two apart. It was also the first time anyone had seen Michiru flustered and embarassed.  
  
Atsuko "Nuku Nuku" Natsume was a little bit tricky. Apparently she'd been cast as a princess who had been kidnapped by some oddball wizard. Standard RPG plot, actually. Nuku Nuku didn't like this game, had kicked the kidnapper into the nearest wall, and had been playing with the monsters. She hadn't wanted to leave, and had taken a lot of time to say "bai-bai" to all of her new friends.  
  
Where Michiru was easy, and Atsuko had been frustrating, Eudial had run into some severe problems. As she had been placed in a samurai epic that would have suited Sakura quite well, she'd found herself in Nobunaga Oda's army as a footsoldier without any of the skills she needed for survival in such an environment. She'd been discovered and thrown into a cell and had been in the process of being beheaded as a spy when she was rescued. As in the sword had already begun the downstroke. She kept feeling her neck and shaking long after she'd been returned to the shrine.  
  
The eurasian ninja girl, Kasumi, had fared better than Eudial or Haruka. Not that that was saying much. She merely had her clothes soaked through by slime and gore, and had been in a story called "The Brave Little Tailor" however all she'd met in there was a few giants, a unicorn, and a rather obnoxious gentleman she'd left behind in short order.  
  
The albino ninja girl (though she preferred the term kunoichi) named Ayane had ended up in some place named "Gor" where she had apparently had to fight from the moment she'd gotten there. By the time she was rescued, the girl had collapsed in exhaustion.  
  
Which left one.  
  
------  
  
Ami watched as the scantily dressed "playing cards" wrestled a struggling catgirl into a cage hanging from a chain.   
  
"The Queen of Hearts,  
She likes her tarts,  
prepared for her to play,  
so lucky guards will make a tart,  
from an alley cat today!"  
  
Ami would have been concerned if the catgirl were real.   
  
"AMI! HELP! I HELPED YOU GET AWAY!" The bluefurred catgirl struggled against the hands and the manacles. "AMIIIIII!"  
  
Ami shrugged helplessly. It was illogical to expect that she, an ordinary high school girl, could do anything against these sort of odds. Besides, Ameow had even admitted that she was just an aspect of Ami - the playful and affectionate side she kept buried.  
  
The cage moved slowly towards the vast machine, but Ami had already turned to leave. She wouldn't get another chance like this. Though these villains had been much more interested in the catgirl after she'd kept them from capturing Ami.  
  
The air shimmered and someone dropped from the hole in midair.   
  
Grey landed lightly. "Ami! Are you okay?"  
  
Ami nodded. "You're here to get me out? Took you long enough. I have exams coming up, you know."  
  
Grey blinked at the cool approach and wondered if it was because he'd taken so long rescuing the others. "Uhm, Ami?"  
  
Ami snapped her fingers. "Hurry up. I've spent enough time here."  
  
--------  
  
Michiru, annoyed by some large bug flitting over her head, rolled up one of Rei's magazines and swatted the thing.  
  
Haruka, having been swatted into the table, was less than happy about this situation. Or at least would be if she were still conscious.  
  
People had to break apart the fight occurring between Setsuna and Queen Serenity. Not that the Queen would brawl over one of her former Sailors declaring that the Queen was a spoiled brat whose heart had frozen solid during her hibernation. Not at all. Nor would Setsuna threaten to put the Queen over her lap and spank her. It must have been just an auditory illusion.  
  
Things were a bit tense, though.  
  
The Queen summoned her Guards.   
  
Sailor Mars, Sailor Moon, Sailor Jupiter, Phobos, Deimos, and the two mooncats attempt to play mediator.  
  
Setsuna, Mineko, Morrigan, Sakura, Maya, Honey, Nuku Nuku, and Hotaru stood on the other side.  
  
Everyone else was trying to remain out of the battle altogether.  
  
Eudial grabbed a gadget. This looked like the perfect opportunity. One little manuever, the two groups would kill each other, then she could claim the prize. In the concealment between two trees, she slowly aimed her special weapon - the FireBuster! One good pull on the trigger and that silver-haired Queen would be ash.  
  
A twig snapped underfoot.  
  
Both groups glanced in one direction, saw someone sneaking around with a large gun, and figured that they were being betrayed by one or all of the other groups. Either that, or the Japanese government had sent an assassin in.  
  
Three Senshi sent power blasts towards Eudial. Five Lunar Guards sent their attacks towards Eudial. Honey threw her Honey Boomerang. Sakura sent her Cherry Blossom Spirit Attack. Maya said something unkind. Nuku threw a rock. Hotaru transformed to Sailor Saturn. Setsuna leveled her Power Key Staff and fired off a quick blast.   
  
Eudial was removed from the simulation.  
  
The tension went up another notch but no one attacked the other side yet.  
  
Then there was a small explosion as Grey returned with Ami.  
  
=========  
  
i wanted to try some *very* different "Meet The Tendo" scene ideas. Here's one.  
  
---------  
OMAKE OMAKE OMAKE  
  
"Uhnnnn," Ranma slowly struggled back to consciousness. "Stupid old man, hitting me from behind like that! What ya do that for, anyway?"  
  
"Because if I told you what was waiting for you here, you'd have left the country," Genma said from nearby.  
  
Ranma looked around. There was his father and some other guy about the same age. "Yeah, and what the blazes was the reason we needed to get here anyway?"  
  
"There is a matter of old honor, an agreement between families," began Genma.  
  
"Cut to the chase scene old man! What the hell is so damn important it has to be done *now?*"  
  
"Many years ago, we served a terrible Master. Who did something horrible to my wife, a threat he made to use magic against her unless she gave in to his demands. She did not. He followed through."  
  
Ranma settled down slightly. Vengeance he could understand. Magic could be like the curse, so maybe it had a bearing after all and wasn't just another stupid idea of his father. "Yeah, yeah, so why me and why now?"  
  
"You just turned sixteen," pointed out Genma.   
  
Ranma nodded. Okay, but all that meant was that he had just fallen into a legal twilight zone. He wasn't supposed to drink sake, or drive, or do a lot of other things. "So what was this curse? She didn't turn into a panda with cold water, did she?"  
  
"Worse," said Soun, looking into his tea. Then the waterfalls began as Soun Tendo lost it.  
  
Genma cleared his throat. "She died, Ranma. The Master attempted a spell that would turn her into his 'pet' - but it was not completely successful. He never *did* get that curse right."  
  
"BWaaaaaaah," continued Soun.  
  
"Originally, we were going to have you marry one of Soun's daughters," began Genma.  
  
"WHAT?!" Ranma found himself standing and glaring at his father.  
  
"Unfortunately, that isn't possible," finished Genma, raising an eyebrow and meeting Ranma's gaze.  
  
"Oh." Ranma sat back down, now feeling bad about his outburst.   
  
"Ohhh! Poor Kimiko!" Soun said between wordless wailing. "Not only to die but have her humanity stolen!"  
  
"Something like a Jusenkyo curse?" Ranma asked his father.  
  
"No turning back to normal with hot water," said Genma solemnly.   
  
"Kasumi, Nabiki, Akane. My three daughters. They were born after the Master..."  
  
"His three daughters are not legally human. Therefore you can't marry them." Genma evidently regretted it. "Almost but not quite. So you can go search for a cure, but after you adopt them as pets."  
  
"WHAT?!" Ranma found himself standing again. "What kinda agreement is..."  
  
"Oh myaow! This is Ranma!"  
  
"Nyaa! He's pretty cute!"   
  
"Yeah, mya, maybe this could work out."  
  
Ranma stood paralyzed and slowly turned towards the interruption. One girl was wearing a frilly apron. Another was wearing a pair of shorts and a tight top. The third was wearing a gi.  
  
They were catgirls.  
  
"Ca-ca-ca-ca-ca-ca-CAT!"  
  
Three sets of ears went flat as their new owner went racing through a door without benefit of opening it.  
  
"Well, *that* didn't work out," summed up Nabiki.  
  



	20. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 20

A Soldier's Duty, chapter 20  
  
"Writing is not neccesarily something to be ashamed of, but do it in private and wash your hands afterwards." - Robert Heinlein  
  
DISCLAIMER: insert all applicable disclaimers here.  
  
-----  
  
Appearing in the midst of a situation as tense as having two groups of Senshi and their allies ready to rumble, Grey did one of the few things that he could have done to cut the tension level immediately.  
  
He fainted.  
  
Well, it *had* been a terribly long day. Starting with injuries received running from various girls who'd gotten some nasty little potion. Followed by a long series of adventures involving storybook characters, arrows being pulled out of his back, getting beaten on by Maya in her panic attack, and numerous other aches and pains.  
  
The tension level dropped momentarily.   
  
"Moon Healing Activation," called out Sailor Moon, beginning her windup.  
  
"Saturn Healing Activation," tried Sailor Saturn, having seen this before.  
  
"Millenial Crystal Healing," began Queen Serenity.  
  
There were a set of glares as all three stopped as they realized they weren't sure *what* would happen if the fields overlapped.  
  
Ami cleared her throat. "Just in case anyone is interested. I'm cancelling my engagement to Shard-kun. With exams coming up, there is no room in my life for things like 'dating' or 'love'. Studying is my only concern now. Family honor can be taken up by someone who actually has something in common with him. I see no reason for me to endure this hardship. Now it's late and I need to get home."  
  
Those who knew Ami stared at her because they weren't used to her being *this* cold.  
  
As Ami left, Minako stumbled forward. Go to the aid of her friend, who had obviously gone through rough times in *her* prison. It had been rather obvious that the master of these youma hadn't followed recent events that well. Sailor Jupiter vs undead rats, whereas she had gotten "Goldilocks and the Three Bears?" Nope. Not even beginning to be a level playing field. Or go to the assistance of her fallen fiance? Or keep herself ready for any more treachery from Queen Serenity?  
  
Mamoru cleared his throat from the sidelines. "It's just turned 3am. In case anyone is interested."  
  
"It *is* getting quite late," Queen Serenity declared. "We shall discuss this another time." She raised her hand, prepared to whisk herself, her soldiers, and her former consort back to her hotel.  
  
Sailor Saturn blocked the last from teleportation by kneeling at Grey's side and beginning to heal wounds that had reopened.   
  
With Serenity's departure, the remaining tension slowly drained and yawns began as the terribly long day was finally declared over.  
  
With Ami's departure, and Grey having collapsed, and everyone way too tired to argue much, it was decided that having him stay at the Shrine was the option of choice. Minako merely snuck back home and into her room. It was already morning, and she had to be at school way too soon.  
  
Sakura, having noticed that Ami's book had *not* vanished like the rest, made a note to investigate it. AFTER she'd gotten some sleep.  
  
---------  
  
Grey didn't dream, for once. He'd lost a lot of blood, a lot of energy, and had exhausted his natural reserves, gone beyond those, and magical healing could only go so far. At this point the only reason he hadn't dropped literally dead was Celeste fixing some of the problems of Kitchiri's earlier intervention.  
  
Grey's baseline reality was (once again) a silver dragon from Aramar. Aramarian dragons were difficult to kill. They had a host of Rules that affected them, often in ways the dragons didn't suspect themselves, but they tended to be pretty darn tough.  
  
Even when the dragon was in human form and not aware of his status.  
  
Dragons of Aramar didn't dream either. At least in a Freudian or Jungian sense. They didn't enter an elven Reverie either. Dragons sometimes visited other people's dreams, or could end up in an elf's reverie. More often though, and in a dragonsleep, the dragon's mind's eye looked elsewhere and sometimes elsewhen.  
  
And as a certain dragon was worried about a number of girls that he knew, he ended up sticking his head in *their* dreams. Well, at least a couple.  
  
He really *was* quite exhausted.  
  
-------  
  
Hotaru had taken a position close by her sempai. She had his measure by now, and even if he hadn't been in a coma, there was nothing improper going to happen. Unless she initiated it, and as she'd been reduced in age once again that wasn't likely.  
  
There was some brief words spoken in a tinkly high voice, but they were words that good little Japanese girls didn't use, so Hotaru ignored them. It was just Haruka complaining about the fact that she was currently Tinkerbell - including glow and little sparkle of light as she flew about. All of which Haruka had some problems with, apparently.  
  
Hotaru listened during the night as Rei got up from her bed and went to the bathroom, then came back and... Hotaru frowned as a message penetrated. That message being that Rei had ended up with a shorter walk back to her bed.  
  
Eyes protested being roused from slumber, but a contented "mmmmm" was sufficient to make the effort.  
  
The sky outside was showing definite signs of predawn. From that faint light, Hotaru could see the dim shape of her sempai right there. Beyond her sempai was...  
  
Hotaru managed a very tired scowl. Snuggled up against her sempai, her head using his chest as a pillow, was Makoto. Right area, wrong person, not Rei after all. There wasn't sufficient light, but from seeing the shape and hearing another contented "mmmmMMMmmmm" was enough to fill in details. If she hadn't felt so tired, Hotaru might have protested.   
  
Instead Hotaru fell asleep while trying to think about how to seperate the two.  
  
--------  
  
In a strange realm, a bunch of underclad girls who were actually playing cards were dancing around a large machine.  
  
"The Queen of Hearts,  
she likes her tarts,  
and on them she will prey,  
she'll do them up right proper,  
on this fine summer day."  
  
Ameow struggled within the machine, feeling her very self under assault. Though she had been seperated from the "study freak" she remained intelligent, and had decided that she needed to try something. She didn't have a transformation pen, but transformation to Sailor Mercury had been cut off by the Queen. Besides, that would be Ami. What could she do as Ameow Mewzuno?  
  
The song was interrupted and the hiss of the machine was overwhelmed by a voice shouting from within its depths.  
  
"Snowcat Prrrincess Purrcury POWER UP!"  
  
The Tartmaking Machine abruptly exploded with little shards of ice zinging around the room accompanied by shrieking from the playing cardgirls as they ducked for cover.  
  
A white furred catgirl leapt to the ruined top of the machine and posed triumphantly. "Nyaa. Why should Sailor Cheetah be only one who has fun? Ahem. Introducing the smarticat of Love & Exams, the cuddly and cute Snowcat Princess who fights for love and quality cuddling time! Snowcat Purrcury!"  
  
The redhaired Usagi in red leather snapped her whip. "If you know what's good for you, you'll surrender peaceably. But by all means, struggle so that I may properly punish you!"  
  
Snowcat Purrcury disagreed. "AURORA THUNDER ATTACK!"   
  
The Red Queen blinked from within a block of ice briefly, looking startled as the white furred princess walked past, head and tail held high.  
  
"Nyaaaaaaaa. Ameow feels *much* better now. Queen, I would suggest you not cross me." Purrcury flicked her fingers out, revealing longer and thicker claws than she had as Ameow. "Or we will see who punishes who. Heh heh."  
  
--------  
  
The nearest knot of psychic tension was a young samurai girl who was tossing and turning.  
  
The dragon landed in her dreamscape and looked around. A cliff overlooking a raging sea, dark overcast skies overhead, the smell promising rain. Sakura sat on the top of that cliff, looking out at that sea, her dark hair whipped about by the breeze.   
  
Grey moved closer, trying to determine what was going on.  
  
"It is not polite to enter another's dreams uninvited," said Sakura, suddenly changing colors. White hair was now billowing in the breeze, while darker skin formed a stark contrast. Eyes that seemed a bright aquamarine studied him briefly. "Stay awhile yet. I have need of some company at this point."  
  
Grey sat down, regarding the pointy-eared girl before him. Her clothing changed as abruptly as her coloration had, going from the pink oriental kimono to a set of battered armor with panels lacquered the same shade as her eyes. Her katana briefly sparkled and shifted as well, becoming an older-looking and more worn weapon.  
  
"A long life I've had, alone, and it's been a harsh one. Pit fighter is hardly an occupation I'd recommend, but then those who ply that trade usually have no choice in the matter, eh?"  
  
Grey nodded and made an agreeing noise.  
  
Sakura sighed and lay completely back, now regarding the sky. "This is a strange situation, is it not? I don't actually love you, you know."  
  
Grey wasn't sure how he was supposed to react to that. Heck, he wasn't sure why he was a dragon in this dream, or why she had turned into an elf.  
  
"No, I'm in love with the idea of being in love, if ye can ken such a thing." Sakura plucked a blade of grass idly and began chewing on the stem. "I've long wanted to put aside combat, though it's mostly what I know."  
  
Another mostly agreement noise seemed the best response. Grey obliged.  
  
"You couldna see it among the drow, but among the other slaves, of other races, you could see it." Sakura let out a long deep sigh. The oceanside vanished, replaced with a mortared dungeon lit from openings along the ceiling. "These things called 'love' and 'affection' - of being tender and gentle with your chosen partner. It called out to me heart, it did. Yet I ne'er thought would find me. A scarred old warrior trained in the martial arts since birth? Clanless, a slave among the slaves? No, nor was it a good thing to think o'er much there. Ye just dealt with each day as it came, never think beyond the next combat, always training in how to best kill yer opponent."  
  
The pain in that voice got Grey to move closer and gently nudge the girl with his head in an attempt to show sympathy.  
  
Sakura reached up to stroke the dragon's muzzle slightly. "Then, jes before the city got blown up, someone came seeking me. Not just me, but still, it was the first time I'd been seen as a person and not an object. My trainers, the audiences, even my fellow slaves. They'd all seen me as an object. Something to train, or something to sell, something to fight. Here was this human girl who'd wanted to get all the innocents out before the hammer fell. Except he wasn't really a human or a girl, just someone who'd gotten a raw deal most of his life." Sakura's voice went quieter. "Like me."  
  
While he had absolutely no idea what this girl was talking about, Grey pressed briefly and lightly against her in an attempt to reassure.  
  
"Well," said Sakura, "even if I lose, I'll have given it my best shot. Pity that neither of us will remember this when this dream's at an end, right? Now, my friend, I need to slip into a deeper sleep. Sakura Shinguchi has classes tomorrow, even if I think you'll miss yours."  
  
----------  
  
The Wizard had woken early, checked, and discovered that only one trap remained intact.   
  
So much for all the effort put into the Virtual Beast.  
  
Still, all was not lost. He could weave a particularly perverted trap into place if the boy tried to rescue that last girl.  
  
If he had the measure of the Binding right, the boy wouldn't even realize he'd been trapped.  
  
---------  
  
The second dream, like the first, was stark in its own way. Where the largely empty environment of the cliff and the dungeon had been, this was a more crowded in a way.  
  
It was a graveyard.  
  
Grey was struck immediately with the difference from similar things in the States. There, burial plots were usually fairly sizable, with space between each grave, except for the family plots which were usually fairly tightly together. Grass covered all but the headstones.   
  
In Japan, apparently, it was different. These were small ashtrays in front of vertical markers.  
  
This was kind of alarming, in that the markers stretched out in all directions to the horizon. Considering that the average distance between markers was a little over two feet, and that each marker was about three feet in height, that meant a lot of markers.  
  
Walking through this revealed a gradual deterioration of the markers. Where they had been fairly well maintained at the start, as he walked towards the distant figure, they became older and more neglected. The languages on the markers changed too. From that Japanese stuff that he *still* couldn't read worth a darn, it switched to roman-style lettering. Then Russian symbols, interspersed with Japanese or Chinese, other odd symbol-writing, at least two that used Egyptian style hieroglyphs, and something that looked like Norse runes. After that, there were a lot of markers which failed to show any lettering due to the excessive weathering of the stone or rotting of the wood of the signs. Some were legibile, but the writing didn't look at all familiar.  
  
By this time he could make out the details of the one kneeling before one of the markers. He'd been able to tell it was Morrigan right away from the hair color. Her clothing was atypical, however. She usually wore something fairly scanty. Here she was wearing a black dress that pretty much covered everything.  
  
When he was standing silently next to her, he noticed that the grave marker had been weathered away to a lump. There was a jagged top, and there were hints of lines, but whatever it had said had long ago been lost.  
  
"Mortals don't last too long, you know," Morrigan said in a low tone. "They're here, vibrant and young, handsome or beautiful, full of life and song. Then you blink and they've died of old age. Run off on a quick errand and you come back to find that their greatgrandchildren don't even know their names, or that their keep was abandoned and the line died out. Get summoned home to Makai for some boring ceremony and committees on zoning laws, finally get back and the people you danced and laughed with just the other day have turned to dust long ago and have been forgotten."  
  
Grey had absolutely no idea how you were supposed to respond to that.   
  
"Perhaps that's what draws me to mortalkind. A bright candle that burns quickly, compared to the long guttering flames of Makai. That and the variety. I've met humans more cruel than Dimitri, more playful than Felicity, and more loyal than Frank. I've known babbling idiots, wise philosophers, skilled rogues, and bastions of kindness. I've interacted with saints, who were less boring than you might think, and with brigands, who can actually be *quite* boring. But then you turn away for a moment, and they're gone."  
  
Grey cleared his throat. "Well, you should consider associating with the Senshi for a time then. A lifespan in the Silver Millenium can last a thousand years."  
  
Morrigan glanced briefly at him, then straightened from where she had been kneeling. "That could be interesting. Will Usagi still trip over her own feet, five hundred years from now? Will Makoto even remember the face of that 'sempai' she still moons over a century hence? Will they still be the same people they are now with the foibles that make them human? Or will they turn cold and jaded?"  
  
Again Grey had no clear answer. "Maybe. Change is a constant. i'd expect there to be some 'core' of them to continue through the ages."  
  
Morrigan considered that briefly, her fingers running briefly over the surface of the grave marker.  
  
"i'm just a fifteen year old boy. Nebula had lived longer, but Nebula's faded into the past." Grey stared at the marker, wondering what significance it had to the succubus. Then shook himself from the distraction. "This kinda thing is out of my league. Sorry."  
  
Morrigan sighed deeply and shook her head. "There are times I am entirely too tired of all this. Nor are you comfortable with having me as a thrall."  
  
"True," Grey allowed, privately he had his doubts about his ability just to survive a relationship with Ami or Makoto much less someone like Morrigan. "Perhaps we should just go our seperate ways?"  
  
Morrigan nodded, then reached out to tousle his hair. "You take care, kid. Though I think our paths will cross again."  
  
--------  
  
Celeste noted a light flashing and clicked the corresponding control. "Wow, they're beginning to drop out. Eudial, Morrigan, and Ami have all rejected him now."  
  
"That's really going to affect the betting," said Fleece. The goddess of the quick yen, who had once been a mortal named Nabiki Tendo, kept her recent revelation to herself. "Though don't forget that Amieow is still seperated."  
  
"Doesn't matter," Celeste argued. "Amieow is just part of Ami. The moment he brings her back into the main simulation, her earlier decision to leave him to others will stand. If that Sailor Iron Mouse running around doesn't finish them off first."  
  
"Well, at least Happosai and Ataru and that other fellow aren't messing things up any more." Serafita was glad to see the chaos level receding. Celeste hadn't been joking earlier about altering the scenario to that pokegirl setting, which would have been quite alarming.  
  
"Let's see. Rei's set for the evening date. Will he even be in shape to walk by then?" Fleece started figuring out the odds.  
  
"Hey, Fleece, who were you favoring, anyway?"  
  
"Hmmm? Oh, Ranko." Fleece ignored the looks of disgust. "Not the Ranko with the Inferna Akane. Have you seen those timelines where Ranma was born female? Some of those are even more insane than the mainline. Such as there's a couple (at least) where she ends up with Akane, despite neither starting out with the least inclination towards same-sex pairings, and neither having a gender changing curse. Don't you think someone like that deserves a break?"  
  
People were still looking at Fleece as if she were crazy.  
  
"No chance of that happening," concluded Fleece. "Out of *this* crew, I'd have to go with Misato. She really needs someone to take care of her."  
  
--------  
  
"Borrrring," said the girl as she walked down the streets. "How am I supposed to find someone with a Star Seed around here? I always get the tough assignments."   
  
"Hey, girlie. You wanna good time, I can show you things you just not believe!"  
  
Sailor Iron Mouse looked up and down the two fellows in the car that had pulled alongside her. "Why? Are you brilliant? Are you the best in this dull town?"  
  
"Girl, some days I'm good. The rest of the time, I am fan-tastic!"  
  
Just to be on the safe side, Iron Mouse attacked both the guy leaning out the window, and the driver. Unfortunately, their star seeds turned dark almost immediately. "Phooey. Such pathetic star seeds are not of any interest to me."  
  
She walked away, ignoring the shrieks and screams. Especially after the two Farces formed.  
  
"Sailor Pimp!"  
  
"Sailor Cokehead!"  
  
Sailor Iron Mouse shook her head. She'd heard from two different people that if you wanted a brilliantly shining star, this was the place to come. So far she hadn't seen any evidence of it.  
  
Upon hearing gunshots nearby, Sailor Iron Mouse decided to leave this "Hollywood" for other areas. Maybe the magazines might give her some clues.  
  
Besides, those two fuku-clad Farces were not something to gaze on for very long.  
  
-----  
  
"AAAAAAAAA!"  
  
Minako blearily opened an eye to regard her mother. Who was standing in the doorway looking very alarmed. Minako's father quickly came into a similar position and pose.  
  
Minako tried to puzzle this out. Had she failed to change clothes? Well, it *had* been rather eventful. And now she...  
  
Minako had started to brush some hair back out of her eyes. The good news was that she was wearing her pajamas. The bad news was that that hand was covered with spotted golden fur.  
  
She hadn't transformed back last night.  
  
Which meant that her parents were looking at Sailor Cheetah wearing *her* pajamas.  
  
Oh dear.  
  
Mrs Aino started tapping her foot impatiently, clearly waiting for the explanation.  
  
"Uhm, actually, there's a good explanation for this," Minako began. "Uhm. Well."  
  
*taptaptaptaptaptaptaptap*  
  
Minako considered transforming back. She considered claiming that she was really Sailor Cheetah and had no idea where Minako was. However, despite having many good qualities, there was one rather blatant truth about Minako Aino: she was not a morning person even under the best of circumstances.  
  
"Uhm, well, actually. You remember that fiance of mine? Grey-chan accidently kind of did this." Minako tried to smile innocently.  
  
--------  
  
Waking up at the Hikawa Shrine was an unusual experience.  
  
Makoto had been rescued from hordes of carnivorous undead rats. Going home *alone* in the dark had not been something the courageous Sailor had been ready for. Sure she could face yoma and Dark Kingdom Generals and the like without the slightest qualm. Cornered in a sewer with thousands of beady red eyes, rotted flesh, sharp white teeth? Nope. When her rescuer had shown up and gotten her out of there, she'd had to be physically pried off of him.  
  
And as soon as she'd been sure that he was asleep and nobody else was watching, she'd shared his futon. Nothing hentai of course. She was exhausted, he was wounded *and* exhausted.   
  
Waking up, Makoto was aware of the boy's steady breathing, his warmth and presence, and the smell of antiseptics. Cracking an eye open, the 5'10" girl looked at her shorter boyfriend. She also couldn't help but stare at the eyes regarding her from the other side.  
  
Rei stumbled past the three tangled up on the futon, sufficiently out of it that she didn't notice all the details.  
  
Hotaru was far too unconscious to notice any of this either.  
  
Setsuna regarded Makoto from the other side of Grey.  
  
Makoto tried to focus on something pleasant. "Nice nightie."  
  
"It's practical," responded Setsuna. "Do you normally sleep in the nude?"  
  
"No," admitted Makoto, "normally I wear pajamas but it was late last night. Besides, I'm not naked. I'm wearing a tshirt."  
  
Setsuna sighed and winced as she slowly got up.   
  
---------  
  
Tequila was not at *all* sure what to make of this. "Uhm, look, Senorita. Nice little ersatz sailor fuku, but we're closed. It's eight o'clock!"  
  
"Eee hee hee hee! I, Sailor Tin Cat, will steal your Star Seeds and put that loser Iron Mouse in her place!"   
  
Tequila was unimpressed. "Look, the headress is silly, you've got knobby legs, and we are CLOSED! We had the Last Call two hours ago!"  
  
Tin Cat blinked repeatedly. "Knobby knees? I do NOT have knobby knees!"  
  
"Jagermeister? Vodka? Senorita Gato needs to find the door." The Mexican temptress flipped her hair back and frowned disapprovingly at the noisy girl.  
  
"Shaaa!" Tin Cat's bracelet sent two energy "pom poms" towards this impertinent waitress.   
  
Which hit, exploded in a brief flurry of sparks, and did absolutely nothing. Tequila and her "sisters" were all elemental spirits. They were not descended from Tau Ceti refugees, not subjects or descended even in part from the Moon Kingdom, and not actually human despite a human seeming. Therefore they had no Star Seeds, Pure Hearts, or other bits of quasi-magical jewelry to be ripped out of them.  
  
Which briefly surprised the heck out of Sailor Tin Cat until she was physically ejected from the building.  
  
--------  
  
Grey slowly sat up. "Time for school? i'll... be..." *THUD!*  
  
"He's unconscious again," said Setsima, laying the boy back down and pulling his futon up again.  
  
"Think that third time's the charm, or will he go for a fourth?" Makoto was split. She admired his persistance, but was concerned about all the injuries that were visible now that it was light.  
  
"I'll stay here and change his bandages," offered Setsuna.  
  
"No way!" Makoto realized her ponytail had stuck up briefly again and smoothed it back down.  
  
"He's *my* sempai, I should be the one to do it," Hotaru said, her natural timidity at odds with her current desire to make sure someone didn't get naughty with her sempai. With these girls you just couldn't tell.  
  
*Zzzzzzzttttttt!* "AAAAAGHHHH!"  
  
"And would someone turn off that darn buglight? Haruka-san keeps getting fried in that thing."  
  
Haruka dropped, smouldering slightly, to the ground. "That's it. I'm gonna World Shaking the boy the first time nobody's looking."  
  
Michiru yawned, looking a little less elegant than was usual, and picked up her lightly fried lover in one hand. Then walked off, still clad in her pajamas.  
  
Rei reappeared in her school uniform and noticed the heavily unconscious Grey. Then the three girls glowering at each other.  
  
"We'll stay here," supplied Deimos.  
  
"You can count on us," seconded Phobos.  
  
Severe looks were turned towards the two former crows.  
  
"Besides, the clock now reads," observed Deimos.  
  
"eight-thirty," finished Phobos. "You'll be late for school."  
  
Michiru came back at high speed, grabbed her clothes, then rushed off to change.  
  
----------  
  
"...and so that's what happened." Minako finished up, proud of how she hadn't revealed any details of her other friends' identities (other than Nebula being Basalt being Grey) and the tangled mess that was the fiancee group. She also left out any reference to dying, figuring that the idea that she had died and been brought back by a ditz like Usagi would really upset them.  
  
"Ami's dropped out?" Her father had decided to focus on the positive aspects of all this. "That'll change the betting at work. Hmmmm."  
  
Minako's mother, on the other hand, was less happy. On the one hand, her daughter was going off into danger and neglecting her schoolwork. On the other hand, she had responsibilities and was somewhat more diligent than expected in meeting them. Bad: she was facing ancient beings that could kill off the population of Tokyo. Good: she was not only saving millions of lives by doing so, she was apparently getting along with her fiance. Bad: her little Mina was now a catgirl - not quite human, though she could turn human again. Good: she *could* turn human again, and (having been dismissed by her Queen) could honorably retire from adventuring. Bad: the "Queen" of the "Good Guys" was apparently planning world conquest. Good: Mina had allies who could be counted on in times of hardship.  
  
Mrs Aino considered to ponder while staring at her daughter, making Mina-chan nervous enough that she unintentionally shifted back to werecheetah.  
  
The solution was obvious. Remove Minako from Tokyo where all this weirdness had occurred. Nothing like that had happened in England. (Another omission from Minako.) So the means thereby became obvious. Minako was already engaged to Shard-san. Shard-san would return to America with his new bride and live a perfectly normal life. Mrs Aino would have to cross the Pacific in order to visit her grandbabies, but that wasn't too onerous compared to the relative safety. (Did they even *have* youma in the US?)  
  
Minako got even more nervous at her mother's expression.  
  
Mrs Aino nodded for no reason Minako could detect. ~Yes. That should do nicely. I can make plans and the phone calls while Minako is at school.~ "Minako. You're going to be late for school."  
  
---------  
  
There are times when truly horrible coincidence, insanely poor timing, and just plain old bad luck gang up on poor innocent people and make their lives a living hell.  
  
This wasn't one of those instances.  
  
A group of terribly tired, disheveled, nerves shot, young girls meeting up for a walk to school seemed a PERFECT target.  
  
With Cyprial, Eudial, Kaolinite, and Terurun all gone, it remained to the others to advance their own private dark causes and do evil villainy. Mimete was busy with her hot springs, hobnobbing with celebrities and handsome fellows, and it was doubtful she even remembered her original mission.  
  
Which left Villuy to prepare her newest attack! She had to leave the nanobots behind, but was ready to use a special set of daimons. These would disarm and overwhelm the silly little girls, who looked barely able to remain awake much less fight. Their pure hearts would be taken, and used to power devices that would then give Villuy some insurance if the Wizard turned against her!  
  
And as these looked like insipid little typical girls, she'd use something that would be sure to get them to lower their guard!  
  
----------  
  
Tired. Sore. Wasted. Morning of the Living Dead. None of the girls were really feeling that good that morning.  
  
"Minako-chan," mumbled Usagi as way of a greeting.  
  
Misato grunted her own version of a good morning.  
  
Ami had her nose in a book and didn't comment.  
  
The others all made tired noises. So did Minako, so they were at least even.  
  
"I'm even more tired than I thought I was," said Usagi after a moment. "Either that or there's a purple dinosaur over there with a microphone."  
  
Much blinking was followed by heads swiveling to stare. Sure enough. A purple dinosaur with a microphone.  
  
"Hi there, little girls! It's time to sing along with ME! Oh, I love you, you love me..."  
  
After several of these girls had just gone through Jurassic Park, and had been attacked by a large number of ridiculous creatures of late, this was not the best time to try clobbering them with a magical attack.  
  
*Grow Shift Fuzz* Minako instantly transformed to Sailor Cheetah.  
  
*Click!* Misato pulled a Walther PPK out of her purse.  
  
*Spin pose* Setsuna aimed the business end of her staff at the purple beast.  
  
"Jupiter" "Moon" "Mercury" "Power. MAKE UP!"  
  
The Barney-yoma hesitated for a moment, then began his Charm Song. He'd have these girls begging to have their heart crystals taken.  
  
"A-TA! Sailor Cheetah Special Manuever! Sonic Boom!" *BOOM!*  
  
*BAM! BAM! BAM!* Misato didn't like this at all. "I gotta hangover damnit! Just shut up!"  
  
"I forgot I couldn't transform to Sailor Mercury." "Jupiter Thunder CRASH!" "Moon Princess Halation!"   
  
Setsuna thought for a moment. She didn't really need to say anything to unleash an attack, but she was used to saying *something* so... Oh. It was already down. Never mind.  
  
---------  
  
Villuy blinked. These were (obviously) not your average Japanese high school girls.  
  
They obviously had two Senshi in their number. What a coup getting *their* pure hearts would be!  
  
---------  
  
Everyone was grumbling, a mixture of tired, annoyed, on edge, and unhappy.  
  
"Oh ho ho ho ho ho! Sailor Senshi, your pure hearts shall be mine! Daimon, attack!"   
  
There was a brief image of a female shaped daimon straightening up. "Tantrum!"  
  
"THUNDER CLAP!" "Setsuna Gamma Ray Laser!" "Taiko Thrown Drumstick Attack!" "Cherry Blossom Spirit Strike!" "Moon Tiara Action!" "Both Barrels Blazing!"  
  
Sailor Jupiter looked towards the others. "'Both barrels blazing'? 'thrown drumstick attack'?"  
  
Maya shrugged. "I was feeling left out." Misato nodded agreement.  
  
Villuy stared at the smoking crater and fallen mallet where her second daimon had been reduced to component atoms. Snapping her gaze up, she had one last card to play, and against this they had no defense. "Nanorobots, GO!"  
  
"THUNDER CLAP!" "Setsuna Gamma Ray Laser!" "Taiko Thrown Drumstick Attack!" "Cherry Blossom Spirit Strike!" "Moon Tiara Action!" "Both Barrels Blazing!"  
  
Ami went over the second smouldering crater and pulled a disintegrating bracer out of it. "Alas, this is what happens when someone without love believes only in logical science."  
  
"Get real," said Misato sleepily. "She got fragged because she might have been smart enough to build nanorobots, but she was idiot enough to challenge us."  
  
"Uhm, isn't it Ami-chan who usually says something like 'she has no time for pursuits like love with exams coming up'?" Makoto whispered to Minako.  
  
Ami sighed, she'd been hoping for a meaningful speech full of personal insight and angst. Especially as she was wondering if she might have left an actual part of herself behind. Though that very thought was ridiculous. Dropping the bracelet back, she tried for quick and meaningful. "She was unwise."  
  
On THAT was no argument.  
  
---------  
  
Sailor Iron Cat focussed on her new prey, doing her best not to limp. This guy had a Star Seed, she was sure of it.  
  
She pounced from her position of concealment, trusting in her skills honed through centuries of service under Galaxia.  
  
Unfortunately the blonde guy with the motorcycle wasn't there. The motorcycle *was* there. Iron Cat looked around wondering where that guy could have gone.  
  
"Let me guess. Puss in Boots?"  
  
Sailor Iron Cat whirled around, there was the guy who had so much presence he *must* have a Star Seed. "What?! How did you...?"  
  
Obsidian sighed wearily. "No, just another stupid damn daimon in a silly costume."  
  
"Now I'll take your Star Seed and... URK!"  
  
Obsidian finished a short and extremely brutal set of moves that were designed for one end. His martial arts style (such as it was) was based on the simple concept of "killing your enemy before they could kill you." Adapted for supernatural creatures who had regenerative properties, the idea was to cause such extreme bodywide damage that one could then reduce said opponent to such a basic level that the regeneration would be delayed if not overwhelmed.  
  
It didn't take long before Obsidian finally came back out of the bushes, flipping a bracelet up and down in his hand. He liked taking his enemy's weapons. Not only did it make for an interesting collection, but investigating them often gave you useful information on those very opponents.   
  
==============  
  
OMAKE OMAKE OMAKE OMAKE  
  
Continuing with Unusual Beginnings:  
  
---------  
  
Soun was flabbergasted. He'd gotten a postcard from Genma stating simply:  
Need help. Be there soon. Genma.  
  
Then a *panda* of all things had shown up at his front door, looked around, then headed for the furo. This had been followed by Genma at last appearing, though without Ranma despite their old agreement. A demonstration and explanation of Jusenkyo had occurred, but now Soun could hold his tearful question back any longer.  
  
"But what about your son, Saotome? What about our pledge to join the two families?"  
  
"I'm rather curious myself," said Nabiki from her position at the crowded table.  
  
Genma went into his most solemn expression. "The trouble started when we visited a village of Chinese Amazons."  
  
"'Chinese Amazons'? Get real," snorted Akane. Personally she was glad there was no boy to show up, though she'd never admit she was actually curious about this anyway.  
  
"Yes, and while Ranma is supremely confident in his martial arts skills," Genma paused to scarf four rice balls and take a gulp of hot tea, "I was certain to undercut his confidence in everything else in life. To make him more tractable and easily dominated by one of your daughters for the marriage."  
  
"Good thinking, Saotome," agreed Soun.  
  
Genma nodded. "Unfortunately, with my sabotage of his friends and social life, making sure he grew up so ready for a friend that he would be truly desperate for any kindness your daughters could show him, something unexpected occurred at that village."  
  
----------  
  
Shampoo smiled confidently. She'd just given the Kiss Of Death. The Guide was panicked and explaining to this interloper what she'd just done. Now, would this Outsider show herself worthy of joining the tribe by courageously standing her ground, or would she be revealed as a coward by fleeing - and therefore worthy only of contempt?  
  
Uh oh. Why was the Outsider girl looking all sparkly-eyed like that? What was with the drifting sakura petals and pink light? Judging from the happy oblivious look on the girl's face, Shampoo made a wild guess that this girl hadn't even heard one word the Jusenkyo Guide had said. What was with all the roses in the background? This wasn't the flower festival!  
  
*GLOMP! SNUGGLE! KISS!*  
  
Shampoo's eyebrows attempted to rise past her hairline. She was being kissed?! A light kiss, almost identical to the Kiss Of Death she'd just given. Now the girl's blue sparkly eyes were brimming over with tears and she was staring right into Shampoo's eyes. Waitaminute, this was NOT how this was supposed to go!  
  
*HUG!*   
  
Shampoo considered fainting. The girl was saying something in that odd language and hugging her so hard that Shampoo felt ribs creaking. "AHHHHH! SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL THIS GIRL WHAT I JUST DID!"  
  
A gentle, inexperienced, hesitant, kiss to the lips was Shampoo's answer. Then this girl laid her head on Shampoo's shoulder and said something else in their odd language, almost drowsily.  
  
"Uhm? Excuse me?" Shampoo started trying to get herself free, without success.  
  
Cologne pogosticked up. If the girl had run, she would have been deemed a coward. Shampoo would have been dishonored, then have to chase after the girl and humiliate her. Death actually wasn't the usual way for things to go, but the Amazons had to keep up appearances. If she had stood her ground, ready for a fight, she would have gotten a feast and party as she became a member of the tribe. THIS didn't quite fit.  
  
"Help! Great Grandmother! This pervert..." Shampoo began to choke. The girl was responding to Shampoo's attempts to free herself by practically grafting herself on.  
  
Cologne listened to the barely audible muttering. Shampoo had seen through the curse? This girl had been alone for a long time except for a "stupid father" and...  
  
Cologne listened further to the barely coherent rambling, then fixed her gaze upon a panda who had snuck back to the feast table and had begun scarfing food rapidly.  
  
A severely underconfident young lady, who had never had friends, never known family, never had any fun or home she could call her own? And a PIT OF CATS?!  
  
Cologne encapsulated the girl's rambling into a minor form. An abused child? One who had been recklessly endangered by her father? Never allowed to know her mother? No friends?  
  
The disgust and annoyance focussed on the Outsider changed to looks of sympathy.  
  
Cologne's staff flicked out. Curses had been mentioned. THAT was the Jusenkyo Guide. A cup of hot tea from one onlooker was launched. A panda turned into an overweight man.  
  
"Kill the panda!" "Abusive fathers must die!" "Let me slash his ears off!"   
  
Shampoo had fainted, otherwise she would have volunteered. If nothing else just to get away from the hydraulic press that was this girl's hug.  
  
--------  
  
"It is a matter of family honor, RANMA'S family honor," insisted Genma. "You know how much weight giri has in Japan..."  
  
Cologne nodded. "Certainly it would be best not to inflict any further dishonor on the poor child."  
  
Genma let out a deep breath of relief. "Fine then. We'll just be going."  
  
"Oh? What exactly is this 'we' you are referring to?"  
  
Genma froze again. "But you just said..."  
  
The wrinkled old crone smiled. "Genma Saotome, upon interviewing with you and young Ranma, it has been determined that you are a loathsome, dishonorable, pathetic, lazy, small time thief and large time glutton."  
  
"HEY!" Genma disagreed with this assessment.  
  
"The only reason you haven't been sold to the Beijing Zoo is because it was felt that losing even a miserable excuse for a family member like you would have negative effects on your child's precarious mental health." If Lilac's glare was any hotter Genma would have combusted. "Abused children, particularly abused women, have often been adopted by the tribe."  
  
"...but Ranma is a boy..." Genma squeaked, being surrounded by a large number of really old women whom he knew (from three attempts to rescue Ranma and flee the village) could severely kick his butt whether he was in panda form or human.  
  
"Yes, we know." Cologne sat back, considering whether to make just one tiny movement. One little signal that would have this person mailed home in a zip-loc pouch. No. A pity. But no. "One who has been adopted into the tribe." Though this really upset Mousse. It was quite strange that Mousse simply could not seem to grasp that Ranma and Shampoo were *friends* now. Siblings by adoption. Though on seeing what Ranma looked like as a boy, Shampoo had managed to dent a support post when she had beat her head against it. Still, Cologne thought it was all *mainly* sorted out.  
  
"Therefore, *your* family role is secondary - if existent at all." Lilac was an earthy sort of Healer, and a dirty old woman, and a lot of things. Child abuse was one of those things that caused her to put aside the Healer's role temporarily.   
  
"So you can leave and put things aright back in your homeland. Meanwhile, Ranma can spend time here with his new sister and try to recover from having you as a father," Cologne pronounced.  
  
"Why should I agree to something so ridiculous?" Genma huffed at the old woman.  
  
"It gets you out of our village, and alive," pointed out Cologne.  
  
Genma considered the old women briefly. Survival was a good thing, but greed... "Throw in dinner and it's a deal."  
  
-------  
  
"Saotome, how could you?!" Soun groaned, though well remembering how easily Genma would cave at the offer of food.  
  
"All is not lost, Tendo. If your three daughters travel to the Amazon village, we can present Ranma this as an obligation of honor. They will *have* to let Ranma go so that he can marry one of your daughters, and the marriage can take place on the spot!"  
  
"Good thinking, Saotome!" Soun smiled and turned to his daughters. "You see, girls, he's... Where did they go?"  
  
============  



	21. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 21+omake

A Soldier's Duty, chapter 21  
  
"Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." Edgar Allan Poe  
  
"I've got to keep breathing. It'll be my worst business mistake if I don't." -Sir Nathan Meyer Rothschild  
  
DISCLAIMER: Naoko Takeuchi owns Sailor Moon, Sakura Shinguchi from "Sakura Wars"(c) Sega, Kasumi and Ayane from "Dead Or Alive 2", Misato Kasuragi owned by Gainax "Evangelion"  
  
--------  
  
Rain in Arizona is mainly during the month of July when the annual "monsoon season" starts. It goes from being 110+ degrees with a low humidity to 90+ and a high humidity. Oven becomes sweatbox. One is also treated to displays like vergra (rain that evaporates before it hits the ground, haboob (mile high walls of dust and grit with zero visibility), sudden harsh downpours, and storms where it looks as if the clouds are walking across the 94% flat landscape on legs of lightning. Because the ground has a layer of kalichi (a sort of natural concrete) and a correspondingly low water absorbtion level, floods frequently occur.  
  
Rain in Tokyo has two things in common with rain in Arizona. It is wet, and the temperature lowers when it is raining. In late March, the rain is a frequent visitor, though it tends to be a drizzly sort of thing as opposed to getting most of your annual rainfall in a single set of weeks.   
  
The natural tendency of human beings (among others) who hurt, are exhausted, and find themselves in a chilly room is to burrow under the covers and get some sleep. This is the sensible approach to cold rainy weather, multiple injuries, sickness, and Mondays. Unfortunately, in a modern society, the sensible approach is often not even an option.  
  
Though, even in modern times, sometimes one isn't given the option to do anything else.  
  
"He feels feverish," said Deimos, her hand covering a small segment of Grey's forehead.  
  
Phobos made an agreeing noise. "At least his wounds haven't opened again."  
  
One of the two foot tall girls stretched. "Well, *he* isn't going anywhere for awhile."  
  
"Neither are we, yech. I dislike this kind of weather. Constant drizzle."  
  
"Well, we could go to the room with the sacred fire, warm and dry in there." Deimos brightened a little at the thought. "Right, Phobos?"   
  
Deimos looked around quickly but her twin was missing. "Phobos?"  
  
"Shhhhh. You'll wake him."  
  
Deimos blinked, then slowly lifted the flap of the futon. "Phobos? What are you doing in there? If he rolls over... He's 5 foot something, we're two feet tall. That could hurt."  
  
Phobos snuggled. "Yeah, but it's nice and toasty here. As well as fairly comfortable."  
  
Deimos went back to the head and peeled back an eye. "Hmmm. You've got a point there. If he was any more out of it, we'd need to call the coroner."  
  
"MMmm hmmmmm," said Phobos from somewhere under the blanket.  
  
"Oh, c'mon. Isn't there something you really wanted to do when you get back to human form? Well we *are*." Deimos could think of quite a few things. Bathing, eating regular food, even those video game thingies that had looked quite interesting.  
  
"Yup. But the boy's not cooperating."  
  
Deimos blinked a few times. As close as they were, sometimes her sister could really surprise her. "How can you even *think* of that with the size difference?"  
  
There was a long drawn out sigh from under the cover. "Spoilsport."  
  
"Well, *I* am going to try one of those 'pocky stick' things, and I know where our Princess has stashed her Super Famicom." Deimos rubbed her hands together. "Dragon Warrior IV - here I come!"  
  
Phobos stopped what she was doing to poke her nose out of the futon. "Hmmmm. That's right... race you!"  
  
----------  
  
Obsidian, the Knight of Fear, was not a particularly big person. Slightly larger and more muscular than the Japanese students around him. Certainly a lot blonder.   
  
It wasn't his physical size that caused people to avoid him, or even that he was gaijin. He just seemed to "project" the same sort of atmosphere one would expect from venomous cobras, bee swarms, or similar high danger areas.  
  
Which had its benefits, certainly. Someone had tried to lift his wallet, and he'd just turned around and *looked* at the fellow. He hadn't known an oriental could turn that pale.   
  
"Excuse me," said Obsidian. Of course there was a downside. Try to ask someone the time, or ask a cute girl out, or even just something as simple as getting directions. His limited Japanese didn't help matters. The last time he'd asked someone for the time, they'd given him their watches. Strange people these Japanese.  
  
Some girl started yelling something, and seemed to momentarily look over the crowd nearby.  
  
Obsidian was curious about this himself, why were all these guys wearing sports gear anyway? Practice before school? If so, *why* would they be waiting around near the school gates?  
  
Oh well, worth a shot. "Excuse me, miss," said the Knight, smiling and walking towards the girl. He held his hands up, showing he had no weapons (at least visible.) "Could you help me?"  
  
The girl in question dropped into a combat stance and moved forward in some sort of martial arts attack.  
  
Morgan Wright had grown up in and attended public school in New York City. Learning to fight as a daily set of combat where a white guy was deemed "target of choice." Obsidian had been a barbarian who had survived in the days where how quickly you could kill the competition determined how long you could live yourself. After that, Obsidian had gotten further training during the Silver Millenium and its court.  
  
Chivalry was *not* one of Obsidian's strong points.  
  
He hit the girl four times, none of them particularly fatal. After all, during his days travelling with one of the pre-pre-Mongol tribes this sort of thing could be considered a declaration that she desired a mating. Of course, she *could* be another daimon or something, so it was best to politely say no. In barbarian parlance, that meant not breaking any of her bones or causing permanent damage.  
  
The girl hit the ground in the manner of a bag of wet cement, coughing and gagging from the stomach punch. So she probably wasn't a yoma.  
  
"Excuse please, is this Juuban High School?" Obsidian called out.  
  
"No," called some girl from the second floor. "Yuwakusha Academy. Juuban is about 10 miles North."  
  
"Sorry!" Obsidian called back. Getting back on his motorcycle, he noticed that a lot of the athletic losers were staring at something. He rode off, not particularly caring. He was gonna be late for class. Which didn't bother him *that* much, but he'd prefer not to deal with the inevitable hassles that would result.  
  
--------  
  
Phobos munched on a Pocky (sort of a chocolate covered pretzel stick) while watching Deimos. "Akira Toriyama did the character designs, didn't he?"  
  
"I think so," answered Deimos. "HA! Another Boss bites the dust."  
  
"Dragon Warrior IV. I think it would have been more fun if the dragon WAS the hero. Flying around, breathing flames, rescuing princesses."  
  
Deimos laughed. "Get real. Nobody would buy a game like that. Well, except us. Nobody could identify with a dragon."  
  
Phobos munched away at her stick, as she was two feet tall and the stick was six inches long, she had been nibbling on it for awhile. "Well. How about if we made a game that had you capturing the monsters and then training them to do the fighting for you. Lots of kids could probably identify with that as the average kid couldn't fight his way out of a bento box."  
  
"Never work," declared Deimos. "In order to make them marketable across gender lines you'd have to make them so cutesy you couldn't take 'em seriously for the fight portion."  
  
"Oh yeah." Phobos studied her feet as she chewed.   
  
"What about Grey-sama?"  
  
Phobos cocked her head at her twin, mouthing the suffix "sama" briefly. "Oh, he's doing about the same. Rain's gotten worse, so I pulled the door halfway closed."  
  
"Oh my. THAT could be a problem."  
  
----------  
  
Haruka KNEW she could do it. There had to be a way to transform back.  
  
Michiru had every confidence in Haruka. Though she DID think that a six inch high pixie Haruka was extremely cute.  
  
"So it's agreed," Haruka said, looking at the partially opened door. Perhaps the only thing handy about this awful transformation was that she could share an umbrella with Michiru. In fact, sitting on her Michiru's shoulder was kinda nice. But being this unbearably cute was NOT acceptable. Why she hadn't simply become Peter Pan was unknown.  
  
Michiru nodded. "Do you think you can become Sailor Uranus? My 'Deep Submerge' may be sufficient to kill him, and then you can fly in and get his Pure Heart."  
  
"If that actually works," agreed Haruka. "Though I want to try transforming anyway. Any more time spent like this..."  
  
Michiru smirked slightly. "But, Haruka, you're so cute like that."  
  
"Michiru. Please do not use that expression."  
  
"Have you tried to transform back to human?" Michiru tried to focus in on the pixie sitting on her shoulder. "I remember stories about pixies who could use their magic to assume human form."  
  
Haruka thought about that. Could it be that simple? She focussed, building her power up. She started glowing brighter and brighter, she could almost feel it. If she could only reach a little bit further!  
  
ZOT!  
  
The umbrella fluttered to the ground.  
  
"Uhm, Michiru..."  
  
"Not one word, Haruka."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Haruka. Do you remember that woman who declared herself to be Amaterasu Omikami?"  
  
Haruka did and quickly swore. "Kuso! Do you suppose. No, of *course* that's why our attempts to kill the boy keep going astray."  
  
Michiru began massaging her temples as a gust of wind blew the umbrella away and neither of them currently had the weight to hold it in place. "Let's at least get out of the rain before we get too soaked through. Maybe we can at least get something hot at the shrine."  
  
"Michiru," said Haruka sadly as she flew. "I realize our duty is to stop this evil. I realize that we, the Outer Senshi, must find the Talismans. I realize that the fate of the world depends on keeping the Silence from occurring."  
  
Michiru smiled, thinking of something. If Haruka could turn *her* into a pixie, why couldn't they do this to the boy? Then perhaps they'd get a better chance later.  
  
"Maybe we should try joining up with the Inner Senshi and cooperating with them?" Haruka wasn't used to feeling so out-of-control of the situation. Of course, she wasn't used to being six inches tall.  
  
Michiru privately wondered if they could do any worse.  
  
-----------  
  
Celeste had gotten tired of people zipping by and asking her what was going on in the Fourth Labor simulated timeline.  
  
So she'd taken the simple implement of getting an old fashioned blackboard and writing out the most salient points.  
  
fiancees:  
Ami Mizuno---------quit  
Kumori Mizuno------quit  
Morrigan Aenslad---quit  
Eudial-------------out of simulation   
Ritsuko Akagi------quit  
Maya Ibuki---------quit  
Amieow Mewzuno-----out of simulation  
Rei Ayanami--------missed deadline  
Asuka L Soryuu-----missed deadline  
Amaterasu----------removed by request  
  
Currently in running:   
Ayane, Honey, Hotaru, Kasumi, Makoto, Minako, Misato, Nuku, Phobos & Deimos, Rei, Sakura, Serenity-ojou, Setsuna  
  
Amaterasu had come by, saw her own name there, and had quietly and calmly requested that it be removed. She was *not* considering this. She had a certain interest in the boy, she admitted, but that was as far as it would ever go.  
  
Fleece had a seperate sign. Odds were changing so quickly that she could hardly keep up. Though she had the "I know something you don't" smirk that had the Valkyries involved wanting to put her through Boot Camp.  
  
---------  
  
The usual drizzle had turned worse.   
  
Misato was teaching despite her reduction in age. She looked just about dead on her feet.  
  
Ami asleep in class was considered by many of her classmates as either a sign of the apocalypse, or (whispered by many) that she had spent the night up with Makoto (wink wink nudge nudge).  
  
Usagi was asleep in class. No big surprise there. Except that Misato had thrown a piece of chalk at the sleeping girl and it had failed to wake her up. So, Misato had been impish and had gotten Naru to "do something" with Usagi's hair while she was so soundly asleep. Hairclips and bunny ears figured into this evil plot.  
  
As Makoto was apparently dead to the world, the rumors about her and Ami were continuing to build.  
  
Of course, now that Ami and Makoto had been "outed" - the idea that Minako and Usagi (who were often late on the same days) were *also* engaged in a relationship was making the rounds as well. Which was one reason that, under Misato's direction, Naru had done up Minako's hair so it exactly resembled Usagi's usual hair style.  
  
Kasumi and Ayane were *not* going to fall asleep in class, as this would be giving the other an opportunity to do something distressing. What the class was about, they would later be unable to remember.  
  
Rei tried to sleep in class, but nuns with rulers make this a difficult feat.  
  
Honey tried to explain to the Japanese Secret Service exactly what had happened. Even with Nuku Nuku's help this was causing various technicians to check for mechanical problems.  
  
Ritsuko went to day care, was picked up by Maya, and the two abruptly vanished.  
  
Gronk (the Triceratops) merely ignored the drizzle. The Seven Dwarves were building a still.  
  
----------  
  
After what seemed like an extremely long day, Rei yawned and stretched, rubbed her eyes, and essayed a smile. Tonight was *her* night. Unlike Ami, she had it all planned.  
  
Her date with Grey was detailed out. She even allowed him 2.25 minutes for getting ready. Everything would go smooth like clockwork.  
  
She even had a backup plan in case it kept raining.  
  
Rei Hino wanted to make a few things up to the boy. He hadn't deserved half the things that had happened to him, he wasn't like the typical Japanese boy, and he wasn't actually that bad.  
  
Okay, Morrigan had explained the love potion bit. Though Rei was *sure* it hadn't affected her. How could you trust anything that Succubus said, anyway? Even if it *had* affected her somehow, she just got so *warm* thinking about the boy, there couldn't be anything wrong with that, could there?  
  
Of course not. And her prospects had gone down considerably of late. Yuuichiro was somewhere in Okayama, her Grandfather somewhere to the North. Neither remembered her as far as she could tell.  
  
Though there were an awful lot of people still insisting that her name was "Bambi Hino". Even some of her school records now read that way. Testament to something that *still* gave her the shakes. An attack on her very identity. A death threat she could face. The Wizard had instead nearly rewritten her past, so that instead of "Rei Hino the shrine maiden" there would have been "Bambi Hino schoolgirl stripper."  
  
If nothing else, for rescuing her from THAT, Rei owed Grey.  
  
Tonight would be perfect, culminating at a night at a hot springs resort (where they'd "accidently" miss a bus and have to stay the night). Rei blushed and managed to walk into a lightpole while considering how the night was going to go.  
  
---------  
  
The Wizard checked. Something was seriously wrong.  
  
Power emanations from four seperate areas he could not account for. The "Witches Five" had somehow become the "Witches One" and his faith in Mimette was not terribly high. Her spa/resort managed to get quite a bit of power to him, and certain visitors had been quietly replaced with duplicates loyal to him. Those whom he couldn't simply rewrite the minds of, he found other uses for.  
  
No, Mimette was fine where she was. It was odd that a bipolar with a significantly low Wisdom score had managed to survive the longest, but this was fate.  
  
It was these unknown power surges that concerned him.  
  
As for the Trap, it was ready. It had been easy, and his unwitting assistant had been Celeste herself. She had loaded *that* file in case the current scenario failed, and now the Wizard was quite ready to make use of it.  
  
A perfect Trap, the Wizard thought. It bypassed each defense that his target had and struck in the areas that he had less protection on. His memories, as long as he didn't threaten the core identity or try to make something contrary to the boy's nature, could be attacked.  
  
If he had it correctly, and the Wizard thought it likely, the core identity of this boy was protected. He couldn't be transformed into something weak and helpless, nor a bimbo or prostitute of any level. Try to go past a certain level, like the attempt to turn him into a ditzy bunnygirl, and the whole thing failed as the Binding activated.   
  
However, he'd turned up that some unknown had cast spells upon the boy. Grey had been transformed at several points, memories erased, he'd even spent time as an affectionate catgirl - so gender COULD be altered.   
  
The Wizard considered laughing evilly, but frankly he didn't see the point without an audience. And even if he explained all this to Mimette, it was doubtful she'd understand.  
  
The Wizard wondered briefly, if he shouldn't try getting a pet. Having someone around to brag to would be nice.  
  
Then his expression fell as his carefully wrought trap collapsed as Celeste removed the backup file and Amieow Mewzuno from the simulation.  
  
--------  
  
Grey was tired and hurt and frankly had *not* reacted well on being dumped by Ami.  
  
Not that anyone used that phrase except Grey, but he still felt that it pretty much summed up the experience.  
  
Everyone (and it literally seemed like *everyone* - including Ami and her mother) had shown up about an hour after school at the Hikawa Shrine. Which was when Ami had revealed to Grey her declaration of the early morning. She had withdrawn her name from consideration. Exams were more important than love.  
  
Morrigan made her farewells as well. There were fights she needed to get to, quests that needed undertaken. However, she promised in a whisper, that when the Senshi truly needed her, she would return and use her own talents on their behalf.  
  
Maya Tono cleared her throat. "I'm sorry. Shard-san, you're very likable. Unfortunately, I'm just a musician, and a martial artist. This is all... more than a simple taiko drummer can handle. I *thought* I could handle this, but the trip through Jurassic Park convinced me that I am just a small fish here.  
  
"There's also that you're American. My Art is strictly a Japanese one. The Japanese festival drum is completely a Japanese tradition. As the last of my line, I must insure that it continues in Japan."  
  
Grey nodded. "I be sorry to see all you go." Grey nodded again. Though he'd begun liking the idea that there were women interested in him, he knew that this was all an honor arrangement thing and now those who could were bowing out. It wasn't like he was one of those idol singer guys. It hurt that he was being dumped, but it was only to be expected.  
  
"That means, of the old arrangements," pointed out Setsuna, "that the Mizuno and Tono arrangements are put off another generation at least. The Saotome claim was put to rest awhile back. Leaving the engagenments to Honey Kisaragi, Atsuko Natsume, Makoto Kino, Setsuna Meiou, Haruka Ten'ou and Misato Katsuragi are still valid. Also, through quirks of fate or ties of blood, Phobos, Deimos, Sakura Shinguchi, and those two kunoichi."  
  
Hotaru frowned but didn't say anything. Queen Serenity, listening from afar, also frowned.  
  
"Though, with us," pointed out Deimos.  
  
"It's a package deal," confided Phobos with a wink.  
  
Many embarassed looks, and Grey tried unsuccessfully to find a phrase in his dictionary.  
  
Rei smiled and winked at Grey. "Don't forget, Grey-chan, tonight's *our* date!"  
  
Grey nodded at that but cast a concerned look towards Ami, who ignored him.   
  
Ami ignored the hurt look from her former fiance. She had other things to do, more important things, than deal with an engagement. High school exams, getting her identity as Sailor Mercury reinstated, her future career as a doctor. She had to be cool, if not outright cold, towards this American just to make sure he wasn't somehow encouraged by her. Americans, she had heard, could be very tenacious and prone to misunderstanding things.  
  
--------  
  
"Haruka?"  
  
"I've almost got it," said Haruka, manifesting the glow again.  
  
"Just don't go turning anyone else into pixies," Michiru cautioned. "This is not 'Featherbrite's Tale' or some other anime."  
  
"Hey, what are you two doing?"  
  
*ZOT!*  
  
Michiru looked over herself. Short, furry, paws instead of hands. "Miya miyaaa miya!" (Haruka. I would have expected this sort of thing coming from the Inners.)  
  
Haruka looked at where she'd just transformed her lover into a green furred Ryo-oh-ki, though as she had never seen "Tenchi" she wasn't familiar with the cabbit concept.  
  
They just *had* to get rid of that gaijin, reflected Haruka. What had been a life or death struggle now involved pixies and unbearably cute rabbit-things. How could they tolerate this?  
  
"Miya!" (Excuse me, I'd prefer 'pixie' to this.)  
  
"Hang on. I'll try again."  
  
"Miya? Miya!" (What do you mean try again? Haruka!)  
  
*ZOT!*  
  
"Bweee?!" (What did you do?!)  
  
"I'm a little closer. I'm getting it." If Haruka had been thinking clearly she likely wouldn't have said anything *that* stupid.  
  
"BWEE?!" (I'm a little black piglet, how is this closer?) Michiru considered the possibility that she'd be able to maintain her elegant image very well in her current shape. Pixie was looking better all the time.  
  
Haruka built up the charge, getting ready to change Michiru back into human. She couldn't bear to see Michiru like this any moment longer.  
  
Michiru closed her eyes and crossed her legs.  
  
*VOMP!*  
  
-----------  
  
Grey hadn't been sure what to expect with Rei planning the date. He'd spoken with her a few times, but really didn't know her even as well as he knew Ami.  
  
For one thing, Rei's command of English was mainly nonexistant. His own Japanese wasn't that good even with a few days practice, so there was a major communications gap at work.  
  
What little he did know about Rei was that she was a shrine priestess of something called Shinto. Which seemed to involve nature spirits, bells, gongs, and praying to fires. These "kami" didn't seem that different from some Native American beliefs, and there were little dolls of this Daruma guy and that chipmunk with the bottle that was resting on his nuts. (That Daruma wasn't a kami or that the chipmunk was a badger had not yet occurred to Grey.)  
  
Rei attended what looked like a Catholic girl's school. Though the name T*A academy had some weird connotations. (Though frankly "Fruit Parlor Crown" wasn't much better.)  
  
She teased his daughter. Well, she teased Usagi at least. Though the rumors of a relationship between the two seemed to be founded on this kind of behavior. Was that expected of him? Had Ami rejected him because he hadn't hit her or insulted her? And, if this was so, would he also be rejected by the others because he wasn't inclined towards actively trying to wound people he was trying to be friends with?  
  
She also had some decidedly kinky clothes in her closet, but embarassed easily when confronted with them. She was, at times: brazen, shy, thoughtful, emotive, a firecracker about to go off, or the serene Shinto priestess. She was the courageous Sailor Mars who could somehow run in those red heels and that short skirt without looking completely ludicrous.  
  
No, Grey reflected, he didn't know much about Rei Hino at all.  
  
Especially when the bus they'd boarded for the trip to the "numbaro one-o hotto dateo spottu" was apparently heading outside town. Grey looked out the windows, completely befuddled, as Rei sat demurely and calmly reading a magazine. Something called "Haneo" from the English lettering. on the cover.  
  
Grey waited until the bus had gone over a mountain before asking the question. "Uhm Reichan, where go we?"  
  
"Big date-o spot!" Rei winked and smiled then returned her attention to the magazine.  
  
  
--------  
  
Obsidian, Knight of Fear, the barbarian in Queen Serenity's Court, would have thought it amusing. Morgan Wright, the current incarnation of Obsidian, LOVED this.  
  
Beer, ice cold, in *vending machines*.  
  
Toasting the night, Morgan Wright declared that he had changed his opinion and Japan truly *was* a civilized land.  
  
-------  
  
Rei thought it was so cute the way her boyfriend to be twisted nervously around. ~Yes, be nervous little one, even as you're drawn into my trap!~  
  
Rei Hino was taking charge of her life, and spending a lot of time in a crowded pack wasn't part of her current plans.  
  
Before this current Menace From Beyond, Rei had died once and been brought back. She'd faced things that would have killed her and had certainly tried to do so. Now with *this* season's menace, she had nearly been turned into a Roppongi based stripper named Bambi. Yuuichiro and her Grandfather were out there somewhere, and neither of them remembered her. All of which added a certain urgency to her actions.  
  
(She'd also fixated on Grey, first by impressing on him when her memories had been locked and some of that feeling had remained. Though she told herself it was just being grateful for having been rescued from becoming Bambi. Then she'd drank that love potion, and even being near him was enough to make her all hot and bothered. So her judgement was a *little* bit off.)  
  
So she'd planned her tactics out. Her clothing was a simple bare-sleeved minidress. Something tasteful, but it showed off her legs. Her pumps were not practical for the mountains, but she was planning on "twisting her leg" and having to be carried anyway. (Though from how exhausted the boy looked, Rei was worried that she might have to carry *him.)  
  
She glanced to the side, and her eyes widened. He had fallen asleep? Rei almost shook him awake, when he slid limply over and ended up with his head resting on her shoulder.  
  
Rei blinked repeatedly. What had she been about to do? Oh yeah, let him sleep there. That way he wouldn't wake up and notice where they were going. All part of the plan.  
  
-------  
  
*VAMP!*  
  
Michiru slowly opened her eyes again. She was human sized again. She brought her hands up. Yes, those were *her* hands, with the line of callous from running the bow on her violin. She checked her face and everything seemed in place.  
  
She wasn't a pixie, or a cat/rabbit, or a pig, or a monkey, or a flying squirrel wearing a WWI aviator helmet, nor a pink winged elephant, or a gorilla, or a (shudder) boy, or anything else that she had ended up turned into. Michiru regarded the exhausted Haruka briefly.  
  
"Eeet is well, mam'selle Haruka. Vous have returned me to normal, oui? Now, Michiru must get very busy cleaning up for Mistress, non?" Michiru saluted the little pixie with her feather duster briefly before walking off to the Shrine.  
  
Trying to catch her breath and staring at French Maid Michiru, Haruka decided that fainting with a nosebleed was too much work.   
  
-------  
  
Mimette sulked. She did a lot of that normally anyway.  
  
"I am NOT bipolar..." grumbled Mimette to no one in particular. "Ooooo! Jet Li-sama! No, no, bad Mimette, I must capture his energies for the Cause. But... No buts! But LOOK at his butt!"  
  
Of course if anyone *had* been around Mimette while she watched hidden cameras filming some of the celebrities who had come to her little hot spring resort, they would have likely left in a hurry.  
  
"Ohhhhh! Ohhhh! Jet Li-sama! No, Mimette, we must be cruel to be kind!"  
  
Of course, if the actor in question had realized that he was "on camera" and that Mimette was about to faint with a nosebleed, he would likely no longer even be anywhere near the hot springs.  
  
"Ah, the horrors of having to steal energy from him, foiling our incipient romance. Oh Jet EEP!" *Spurt* *THUD!*  
  
While going out to the hot springs, Chinese action star Jet Li had dropped the small tenugui (towel) he was using to keep his privates covered, and bent over to pick it up. Mimette's eyes were going in little circles.  
  
Which is how Mimette completely missed seeing a shrine priestess carry her date into the lobby.  
  
------  
  
Evil spread feathered wings as it gently landed on the penthouse balcony. She slid open the door, surprising the tired looking woman and the young girl studying.  
  
"What?" "Who?!"   
  
*PUM!* *PUM!*  
  
Sailor Lead Crow took the two brightly glowing Star Seeds, smiling at the thought of how this would please her mistress. The hunting was good here.  
  
The minion of Galaxia turned her gaze back out to the night. She could sense Phobos and Deimos, the "lucky twins", out there. She'd find them soon, she had little doubt. Just a matter of triangulating their position.  
  
That is, if they'd stop moving around so much.  
  
-------  
  
Kasumi and Ayane moved like shadows from the bus station to the inn: silent, unnoticeable. Which was actually one of the ninja things they did pretty well. For once they weren't fighting, which added immensely to their stealth quotient.  
  
Phobos and Deimos moved like two clumsy two-foot-high girls who were still trying to get used to having a human shape again. Deimos had actually tried to fly from the luggage rack to the roof of the ryokan, only remembering when she had started falling that they weren't ravens anymore. Though to be fair both of the handmaidens had gotten thrown about a bit from the ride up.  
  
Usagi (currently disguised by her disguise pen as the famous seiyuu Kotono Mitsuishi - currently doing the voice of Beautiful Elfgirl Magical Princess Diamond) walked in, only to find there were no rooms available. After seeing one of the workers at the inn, she got an idea and quickly used her disguise pen again.  
  
Makoto had no disguise pen. She'd substituted a trenchcoat, hat, and dark glasses. She was about as inconspicious as if she had worn an "E.T." costume. Unfortunately, in an attempt to shadow Rei, she had hidden in the back and not gotten off the bus in time. By the time she'd gotten untangled and requested a stop, she was a mile away on a lonely mountain road. Then it started raining. Though this *did* reveal that her disguise had use beyond concealment.  
  
Mimette continued to watch the video, now concentrating on the feed from the pool area as men and women took shelter from the storm. "Oooh, YEAH baby!"  
  
-------  
  
Rei grinned as Grey moaned and started waking up, then quickly banished the expression.  
  
"Oooh, wha?" Grey winced as he moved.   
  
"It was raining, so we took shelter here. Fortunately they had a room for the night," smoothly lied Rei. "You were pretty out of it." That was completely truthful. "Didn't want to get your bandages wet." Partial truth.  
  
Grey got the feeling that Rei was dealing with double meanings, but was having trouble just following her normal Japanese. However he did catch the gesture at the drizzly rain outside. "Ah. Rain falling. Understand." Ame wa furu. "What is that?"  
  
Rei looked out and instantly hid the resulting smile. The air was cooling, particularly with the now-fading drizzle, and the quite warm waters of the hot springs provided a developing mist. "Oh? That's the onsen."  
  
"An 'onsen'?" Grey looked around. Everything looked fairly old in design, but newly built. Rei was now wearing some red kimono instead of the outfit she'd been wearing earlier.  
  
"Yes, you ought to change to a kimono while we're here," suggested Rei, trying to sound completely reasonable. "Though first, here's your tenugui. You should go out and get a nice hot soak before it gets too late. It'll be good for your injuries."  
  
Grey stared at the washcloth. Or was that a hankerchief? It was about the right size for a potholder, though not nearly thick enough. "What that?!"  
  
"A tenugui, a towel used to cover your privates. I know how hung up you Americans are about nudity but it's no big deal here in Japan," said Rei, who had a swimsuit on underneath her kimono. "You really ought to try to fit in more over here, especially with Ami and her mother moving your stuff over to my shrine."  
  
That shut Grey up. It had been quickly decided that since he was no longer engaged to Ami, it wasn't proper for him to stay there. Ami's apparent unconcern had been troubling for Grey. Ami's mother had been more upset and disappointed than the cool Ami. He'd thought they were getting along. Apparently not.  
  
Rei carefully did not smirk. "Go ahead and change, you can rest after that."  
  
Grey was about to answer when there was a knock at the door.   
  
The maid didn't even wait for an answer before she entered the room, closing the door again softly behind her. "Ah, heh uhm, guests-sama who I have never seen in my life before, I have brought sake and some riceballs."  
  
Rei's eyes narrowed. That couldn't be... could it? Certainly it could! Though how could Usagi have found them?  
  
Grey blinked. Why did Rei look angry? And he was only 15. Rei was 16. They were too young for the rice wine, and frankly he was getting sick of having rice with everything. If it didn't have rice, it had fish, and more often it was just plain old rice.  
  
The maid put the tray with the little ceramic bottle and two cups down next to the little bowl with the steamed buns. "Ah, so... Mister guest needs a kimono, doesn't he?"  
  
"U-sa-gi." Somehow Rei managed to make the name a threat of incipient violence.  
  
Usagi was privately worried. While she wanted to get her Silver Millenium dad and mom together, but if that didn't work, Rei and Grey might make a cute couple. Though there was the hope that if Rei was getting some on a regular basis she might not be so hostile and strict all the time. It just seemed that Grey looked ready to hide in the closet. How could she smooth the way for love to flourish? How could she hide the fact she'd just dropped all the rice cakes?  
  
Grey was *sure* that something was going on. *What* he wasn't quite getting. The maid was nervous and seemed to be waiting for something. Rei was angry and looking at the maid. Oh! That was it! He counted out a few yen and put it on the maid's tray, hoping it was enough.  
  
Usagi blinked. 60 yen? What the heck was *that* for?  
  
"No no, Grey-kun," exclaimed Rei, snatching the coins off. "This is a ryokan, you don't tip the help. Not unless they've done something *really* good. Not like this clumsy oaf here."  
  
Usagi growled before she realized she was still in her disguise. "Heh heh. Will there be anything else, sir? And, uhm, ma'am?"  
  
"Oh there's quite a bit," said Rei with a raised eyebrow. "Unfortunately I don't think an inn that employs such a low class of worker will be able to meet those needs."  
  
Usagi grimaced and bowed low. She'd have to get even with Rei, but not while her Silver Millenium daddy was watching. When she came up, she saw something that caused her to fumble and drop the tray.  
  
Rei and Grey looked towards the open door but didn't see anything.  
  
Usagi sweated. Had she seen that scary ninja girl with the pink eyes or not? "Excuse me, madam, sir." Usagi all but fled the room.  
  
"Usagi you idiot..." Rei frowned towards the closed door. What did that girl think she was doing? Only an idiot would be taken in by that disguise!  
  
"Hino-san, you awfully harsh with that girl?" Grey wasn't sure *why* the girl looked familiar, but then a lot of Japanese looked fairly similar. Though the blonde Japanese seemed fairly rarer. "She not like very old experienced. Look like our age."  
  
"No no, Grey-kun," said Rei with a wave of her hand, thinking quickly. "It is expected of the guests to give the maids a hard time. It's all part of the experience."  
  
"i don't understand," said Grey, which was perfectly obvious.  
  
"You are not Japanese," said Rei, which had been her response to a lot of his questions for the past few days. "Hurry up and get undressed, you should spend a little time soaking before they close for the night. It'll be good for your wounds."  
  
Grey sighed. Clearly he was supposed to just go out there. Well, Rei had already seen him naked. In her simulation she had *chased* him while naked. And then in her room at the shrine. So it wasn't a big deal, right?  
  
Grey began removing his clothes, then stopped. "If it not big deal be naked here, why Rei watch me?"  
  
Rei stiffened, trying to find a way to put this. Ah, that would work. "Because I just want to make sure you don't embarass yourself or something."  
  
"Oh," said Grey. That sounded reasonable.   
  
-----------  
  
Makoto had finally reached the ryokan, and was looking over the onsen when she glanced towards one of the rooms and gasped.  
  
There was her sempai! Stripping off his clothes while Rei watched? What had Rei told him? Poor guy, taking off his shirt while Rei stared at him and was clenching her hands! She'd *known* Rei was a pervert after seeing some of those magazines in her closet. Now Grey was taking off his pants! Oh, the poor guy, falling for some ruse by Rei to...  
  
Makoto stared. Was that Phobos and Deimos? How'd *they* get there? And wasn't that the ninja girl Kasumi falling out of a tree?  
  
A bubble from the onsen brought Makoto's attention that way. Ayane? Wearing a bikini with a face mask and bamboo shaped snorkel? And why was Usagi dressed as one of the Inn's maids?  
  
Makoto's eyes went back to the room, causing her to stare again. There was her sempai in a state of... stateness? Trying to cover himself with a badly worn washcloth? Looking horribly embarassed. Her heart went out to her poor sempai.  
  
Uh oh, they were coming out here! Where to hide?  
  
----------  
  
Slipping off his shirt had been difficult enough with Rei's unblinking stare following his every move. Well, at least with *this* date, someone had made plans. It had probably been his lack of planning that had made his date with Ami so bad that she was apparently now giving up entirely on love in order to devote herself entirely to studying.  
  
The amount of guilt and just plain ego-crush that little part of Ami's speech had given him was staggering. At least Tono-san and Morrigan hadn't gone *that* far. They'd simply... dumped him. So he didn't protest Rei looking like that, as she was probably right and it didn't mean a thing. Besides, wasn't she a priestess of this Shinto thing and so was probably chaste and pure and all that despite the weird stuff in her wardrobe.   
  
Which brought Grey Le Shard to trying to cover himself with an anemic washcloth while taking his pants off and turning a bright cherry red from the study that Rei was giving him. Shame and guilt over Ami, ego-bruise from being dumped, embarrasment over being naked in front of a girl, confusion over the situation, and the desire not to cause some additional problems all forming a muddled mess of his emotional state. Being naked in front of an attractive girl who was studying him with a little smile on her face might have been something else if he weren't fifteen years old and in such a mess.  
  
"Uhm, like this?" Grey said, trying to cover himself with this "tenugui" thing. Odd logo for the inn was embroidered on it, an oval from which three curvy lines emerged. Maybe it was a raincloud?  
  
"It's upside down," commented Rei, trying to look uninterested and failing miserably. "Come on, get in the water. We don't have all night."  
  
Wincing a bit, and wondering how either of them would do at school the next morning, Grey tried to keep himself covered from Rei's angle while going out the door towards the hot springs.  
  
Since he didn't know about the "maid", the trenchcoated girl hiding behind the ornamental boulder, or the ninja girl in the tree, he unintentionally gave them a full view. There was a little bamboo pole which abruptly spluttered water when he got in, but that was obviously some sort of ornament. It looked silly which probably meant it had some grave Japanese cultural significance, and since he didn't understand it, he was probably best off ignoring it.  
  
Besides, this water was *hot* and that demanded a lot of attention right there.  
  
Hot he'd expected. Hot as in scalding he hadn't foreseen, even with the steam skirling about. Then he'd caught the smirk on Rei's face and everything clicked. Rei had been hostile previously, then simply cold, and then she'd started acting interested. Clearly it was all some dirty rotten trick. Playing games with the foreigner, eh? Now she was waiting for him to leap out of this way too darn hot spring in order to have a good laugh at the "gaijin"! Well, if a Japanese could put up with it, so could he!  
  
-------  
  
Rei had thought it amusing that Grey had reacted like that to wading into the hot spring. It couldn't be *that* hot, after all. Why he scowled like that, set his shoulders, and sat down on one of the submerged rocks was curious but chalked up to his mysterious American ways.  
  
She waited until he was seated before dramatically flipping off her robe, revealing the swimsuit she had chosen for this venture. Seeing his eyes widen was expected: she knew full well that the swimsuit had a mix of elegant and sexy. The sort of thing one might expect that Kaioh-girl to wear, except that this was mainly in shades of scarlet.   
  
Moving like a model on the runway, Rei entered the hot spring. And froze as the temperature registered. This was *too* hot! Way too hot! A good hot spring should have water of about body temperature, with a mix of minerals in the water that was ideal for soothing one's aches. This felt like she was about to become boiled. "Ah heh. Warm isn't it?"  
  
Why was he scowling and not looking at her? Rei wondered if she'd somehow gotten some innocent behavior on her part that had some deeper meaning in American culture. It wasn't unknown for such things to happen.   
  
A bamboo pole started moving at high speeds, heading for some ornamental boulders. Rei was immediately suspicious and started wading towards it. An old fashioned ryokan with an old fashioned onsen should not have plastic bamboo in it, much less moving around under its own power.  
  
-------  
  
"Ah, Mimette-chan," sighed Mimette, "you are such a naughty girl."  
  
That declaration made, Mimette continued scanning rooms, making note of the ones that held the most interesting occupants.  
  
She had never previously been one for the more hentai things, but hanging around the Wizard had certainly opened her eyes to the possibilities.  
  
The onsen had some *very* interesting things going on. Several of them looked to be high energy sources. Perfect for Mimette. They would supply enough to make up for her earlier inattention and the Wizard would never know the difference.  
  
Though to collect that energy, she might need to use extra measures. They were just kids, so it shouldn't take much. "Daimons!"  
  
"How many times'a gotta tell ya, we ain't a no daimons."  
  
Mimette grumbled. "Never mind that. Go get those kids!"  
  
--------  
  
Grey felt dizzy, the heat was unbearable, but darn if he was going to cry uncle if this was part of the prank Rei was pulling on him. No *way* would he confess that she could take the heat more than he could.  
  
It is said that an avalanche can start with a single snowball, a thousand dominoes can be toppelled by the actions of one, the beat of a butterfly's wings can unleash a storm, and a war can be lost through missing a single nail.  
  
Grey beginning to faint in the pool might be considered a domino.  
  
Ayane deciding she was becoming well done might be considered another domino.  
  
Rei trying to find out what Ayane's snorkel was, and where it was going, might qualify as another domino.  
  
Makoto trying to hide with both Ayane and Rei heading her way, yet another domino?  
  
Kasumi still hiding in her fake boulder disguise, Phobos and Deimos hiding under the steps, and Usagi watching nervously from the shadows? Dominoes yet to be placed, perhaps?  
  
Mimette, dispatching not-the-daimon to the onsen? Not so much a domino but a bomb ticking its way down.  
  
Snowball, domino, or bomb, sometimes it doesn't take much to trigger the storm.  
  
---------  
  
Mister Carlson had had an interesting life. For a number of years he had run a radio station, the mighty WKRP in Cincinnati. Well, sort of mighty. At least a little mighty. Okay, not very mighty at all. More a collection of drifters who couldn't hold down a regular job anywhere else.  
  
WKRP had closed and he had gone on to a variety of other jobs, all of which had mainly fallen through. He'd crossed paths again with a few of the others at odd times during those odd jobs. Jennifer was now living in a fairly expensive area of Florida. Les Nessman was happily doing the farm news in Idaho. Herb Tarlec was a used car salesman still in Cincinnati. Venus Flytrap was now hosting a late night jazz program on a Seattle station. Bailey Quarters - vanished one day during mysterious circumstances. Mister Carlson still wasn't sure what had happened to her.  
  
Nowadays Arthur Carlson had become a Maytag repairman. Something he actually was better at than managing a radio station. It wasn't until he had taken a vacation in Japan that he'd finally found another member of the "good old days" crew.   
  
Doctor Johnny Fever - had vanished without a trace one day, not that dissimilar from Bailey's. However, it turned out that Johnny had appeared here in Japan. Working a job at NACK 5, 79.5FM, soft rock and old time rock n' roll. He'd apparently worked at an Oslo station with a similar format, but there had been a little trouble...  
  
"What kind of trouble?" asked Arthur Carlson, though he had a suspicion already. The two were catching up on the times since the over twenty years of their seperating ways, looking for one of the maids so they could try and finagle some American style food for their unexpected reunion.  
  
Johnny merely pulled his sunglasses down a tiny amount so he could look over the tops at his old boss.   
  
Mr Carlson chuckled. Johnny had a tendency to do that sort of thing. "So how is it working out at this station?"  
  
"Well, most of them don't speak English that well, so when my tongue slips, hardly anyone catches it." Johnny gave a whimsical grin in return and shrugged. "That's okay, most of the music they play I can't understand either. If someone's talking to me, I hanashimasu enough of the Nihongo that I can get by. When they sing? Ain't got a clue. Likewise that Osaka-ben some of the deejays fling around. I..."  
  
Two very scantily dressed women, one of whom wore a sort-of Playboy bunnysuit, the other wearing a tigerskin bikini, raced past the two men towards the onsen.  
  
Mister Carlson blinked. "Okay, Johnny, what have you been smoking? Whatever it is was strong enough to get *me* hallucinating?"  
  
Johnny blinked a few times. "I don't know, but I'm gonna *have* to get me some more of it!"  
  
-------  
  
Time, some have said, was invented so that everything didn't happen at once.  
  
Sometimes everything happened at once anyway.  
  
"Bunny!" The Playboy Bunny announced, posing dramatically.  
  
"Huh?" Usagi said, then *really* stared. That was *her*! Except it was a her that had really really big, uhm, talent. Wearing a bunnysuit and carrying a magic wand topped with the symbol for the Hugh Heffner magazine.  
  
"Would you knock it off with the stupid disguises, Usagi?" Rei yelled at the bunnygirl. "That isn't even close to being right for an onsen."  
  
"Silky!" The spidergirl declared, hanging from her toes grasping a branch on the tree.  
  
"Silly," declared Grey, though he was having trouble focussing on the scantily dressed girls. Why were there six of them? Or three Rei (Reis?) for that matter. He started sliding underneath the water, too stubborn to come out, too weakened to take the heat.  
  
Ayane emerged from the water, her skin lobster red, gasping for breath. She did this right next to Makoto, who reacted in a manner significantly different from Usagi. Startle Usagi and she'd shriek and leap in the air. Makoto shrieked and delivered two punches and a kick before she realized it was just that spooky ninja girl and not a vampire kappa.  
  
Rei saw Makoto's reaction and vowed not to pull that Halloween trick she'd pulled on Usagi on Makoto. Startling the tall girl was not apparently a good idea. "What are you two doing here?"  
  
Ayane was still gasping.  
  
"Silky?" "Bunny?" The two daimon looked at each other. Cringing in terror, or running, or attacking they were ready for. The targets ignoring them wasn't something expected.  
  
Makoto looked around for another topic of conversation. Fortunately she found one. "Now time for that now! Look! Two youma!"  
  
"Don't change the subject!" Rei wasn't having anything of this. Besides, that was just Usagi in yet another stupid disguise.  
  
"Excuse me," said Silky, "we're about to attack you and drain your energy or something like that."  
  
"Well, we can't actually drain energy like that, which I wish our Mistress would remember," corrected Bunny. "Let's just attack while they're all distracted."  
  
Silky, a nature spirit, nodded but frowned. "Waitaminute, where'd the guy go?"  
  
Rei stopped berating Makoto. Makoto stopped trying to come up with an excuse. Ayane blinked and looked around.   
  
Bunny was a nature spirit as well. Sort of. A glow around her flashed towards the three girls. "Raging Hormone Attack."  
  
Silky waited until the mental defenses of the targets were dealing with that, then began spreading spider webs to hold and bind the girls.   
  
----------  
  
"We need to save them," said Deimos from her concealment.  
  
"The question is how," pondered Phobos. "Being two feet tall is not conducive to our being able to overwhelm them through brute strength."  
  
"Not only that but we have to rescue the fair... well he's not a maiden."  
  
"Definitely not that," agreed Phobos. "He's already been under for an awfully long time."  
  
"So we need to be able to overwhelm two daimons quickly enough that we... GOT IT!"  
  
----------  
  
Silky had the problems wrapped up and ready for delivery.  
  
"WE'VE GOT TO WARN THE REST OF THE GUESTS, HURRY!" The sound of footsteps running down the hall gave confirmation.  
  
Silky's face fell. "Bunny, quickly, if the rest of the guests are warned, the mistress will be most displeased."  
  
"Right!" Bunny nodded.   
  
There was a brief moment of silence as Bunny and Silky ran out of the room to deal with the intruders. Then Phobos and Deimos popped out from where they'd been hiding.  
  
"Got to hurry," said Phobos.  
  
Deimos agreed but merely leapt into the water and began swimming out to the nearest bundled body.  
  
"Mmmmmmph!" Rei protested being wrapped up and gagged.  
  
"Quiet mistress," Deimos said on reaching her. "Don't struggle like that, you'll get me stuck."  
  
"Mmmmmmph!" Rei glared at everyone within line of sight.  
  
"Is this a good time to negotiate wages?" Deimos joked, waiting for Phobos to throw the letter opener.  
  
"RRRRRRR!"  
  
"Guess not." Deimos said, catching the small knife and cutting Rei's gag. (Slice, rip.) "Okay, Mistress, where's your transformation pen?"  
  
Rei yelped at the feeling of having hair pulled and skin peeled in the same move. "It's in my robe."  
  
"I'm on it," said Phobos rooting through the room.  
  
Rei filed away that apparently LOTS of observers had come along on this date. Waitaminute, date? Grey was *not* visible, had he been captured seperately?  
  
"Here goes!" Phobos threw the little pen to Deimos.  
  
"THERE!" Silky sent webbing to wrap up the little person in the room.  
  
"Mistress!" Deimos tucked the pen into a hand.  
  
"MARS STAR POWER! MAKE UFFFFPH!"  
  
Deimos blinked at the mass of webbing covering her mistress' face now. "Oh *hell.* This must be a Monday. I could never get the hang of Mondays."  
  
--------  
  
Kasumi considered. She was just a kunoichi, a female ninja. She was good in a fight, using her ninja skills to great effect in a battle.  
  
But a ninja, despite all the movies, was *not* a front line fighter. If the two enemy were *human*, Kasumi felt there was a reasonable chance that both could be eliminated in seconds. One threw some sort of disorientation field, the other spun webs from her hands. Neither moved like a normal human.  
  
Still, Kasumi thought she knew where to strike for an "instant kill" as they had human shapes. The problem would be getting the second one.  
  
She'd moved from her tree and disguised herself as an ornamental boulder when it had been obvious that the onsen was about to become "Tokyo Central Station" and she'd managed to hook a leg around her sort-of fiance and draw him up into her air pocket when he'd slid underneath the water. Too bad he was out of it, not only was he potential help, he was kind of cute for a foreigner.  
  
How the heck did you kill "yoma" anyway? Sailor Moon and that sort used magic. Chi attacks might work. Silver bullets? Garlic? Rowan? Unfortunately, she didn't have anything of the sort. Just a few throwing knives, a tanto, and a punch-dagger. Oh yeah, and a couple of poisoned needles. She hadn't been expecting a fight and had dressed light.  
  
Heck, she hadn't even brought a camera and she'd *kill* for a shot of Ayane wrapped up like a Christmas present like that!  
  
Maybe if she struck fast from concealment at the one with her back turned, then flipped over and grabbed the other...   
  
Kasumi gathered herself for the attack.  
  
----------  
  
Queen Serenity looked up from where she was hearing yet another boring report from Igneous (this one dealing with the "importance" of some area called the Middle East and some sort of provincial war going on between two minor nations.) "Some of my Senshi are in trouble."  
  
"My Queen? I was just coming to the interesting part," began Igneous.  
  
"It will have to wait," said the Queen, who was intending at this point to ship Igneous off to some really far off post. Obsidian could at least make this interesting if a bit off-color. Igneous could actually make a religious war dealing with missiles and tanks seem tedious. "My Senshi are first and foremost among my subjects. One is in trouble, and should be seen to first." Queen Serenity smiled at a thought. "You should go."  
  
Igneous blanched. "Me, my Queen?" At Court he was safe from Obsidian. Well, mostly.  
  
"Yes," the Queen made an off-hand gesture. "Both Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter seem to be in trouble. Go quickly."  
  
"But I..." Igneous also worried about what he could do against someone who could hurt two Senshi. It didn't sound promising.  
  
"Yes, and..." The Queen stopped smiling. "Basalt is injured. Go *now*."  
  
Igneous knew better than to argue with that tone. He left. Besides, if Basalt were injured, then a little "help" might downgrade his condition to fatal. Then there would be an opening for a new consort.  
  
----------  
  
Sailor Lead Crow circled the inn, certain now that her prey had fled to this picturesque area.  
  
Stooping wings, she dove for the onsen in the center, where it looked like some big spider had hung some appetizers out for her.  
  
---------  
  
Sailors Uranus looked at the one-sided fight between a ninja named Kasumi and the two daimon. There was the undefended and unconscious boy. This would be easy.  
  
She had to strike hard and fast. Killing the boy *might* be enough to break Michiru out of her current "Michi is just le French Maid" mindset.  
  
Not to mention Haruka's own predicament.  
  
Spreading her pixie wings and swooping down, Sailor Uranus began her attack. "World Shaking!"  
  
----------  
  
Hotaru Tomoe frowned thoughtfully and laid a card down. "Gimmee one."  
  
Setsuna handed Hotaru the card and flicked her eyes to the next player. "You?"  
  
Honey grimaced and put three cards down. "Three." Her expression didn't approve as she received her requested cards.  
  
"Nuku not understand this at all," confessed Nuku Nuku.  
  
Everyone else eyed the large pile of chips in front of Nuku Nuku and wondered again if this was just some innocent act.  
  
The hand finally came to an end as Sakura shifted the peppermint stick in her mouth as an ersatz cigar. "Two."  
  
Setsuna considered her own cards for a moment, then simply set them down. She had an enviable poker face when she wanted. "Fold."  
  
Hotaru smiled a little. "Three of a kind!"  
  
Honey let out a deep breath. "These cards do *not* like me."  
  
Sakura waited for Nuku for a moment, then simply went ahead and put her own cards down. "I have three of a kind as well." Lower than Hotaru's, unfortunately.  
  
"Nuku just have a pair," said Nuku Nuku forlornly. She set down a pair of Queens. Then she set down a pair of Aces. "A pair of pairs?" Nuku wondered why everyone was groaning like that. Well, except Setsuna who merely raised an eyebrow.  
  
Setsuna would have handed the cards to Nuku Nuku except that everyone remembered how much trouble the catgirl android had had shuffling them earlier. One of the Jokers was still embedded in the ceiling as an object lesson.  
  
Setsuna stopped in midshuffle. "He's in danger."  
  
There were no questions about who "he" was.  
  
"Again? Why do all the bad guys go after *him*?" Sakura wasn't sure what the attraction was at this point. Weren't the demons and vampires and all supposed to go after attractive and innocent women?  
  
--------  
  
Mimette glanced at her energy readouts before turning towards the feed from the onsen. Sweatdrops began appearing on her head, and she slowly turned back to the readout. Yup, that's what it said.  
  
Mimette had been having a lot of fun with this setup. Being evil had never been so good under Professor Tomoe's command. Faced with the possibility of *losing* the onsen, Mimette's eyes went wide before she dashed for the spring itself. She had to intervene *somehow* before all her plans were ruined!  
  
--------  
  
An avalanche, it is said, could be started with a single snowflake.  
  
Gathering all the flakes together is certain to start something.  
  
============  
  
  
OMAKe OMAkE OMaKE OmAKE oMAKE  
  
ahem, this was how i'd originally written part of this chapter, realized that this didn't help resolve anything, and there was absolutely no feedback to keep it, but it was so fun i didn't want to just delete it.  
  
-------  
  
Amieow groaned at another falling sensation. Then noticed that the white void was gone. She sat up, looking around her with wide eyes.  
  
A hotel room? A pretty sizable one too. She was lying on a bed, wearing a set of blue pajamas, her tail stuck through a hole in the back. There was Grey, under the covers. He was obviously asleep.  
  
First she'd been in Alice's Wonderland, then after she'd broken free from the Tart Factory, that landscape had dissolved into a white void. Now this.  
  
"Hmmmmph."  
  
Amieow looked at the four very large catbeds nearby. There was a feline Rei, in red pajamas, curling up and grumbling in her sleep.  
  
There was an empty blue one with a blue cushion and blanket. Hers obviously.  
  
There was a green catbed, and a feline Makoto in green pajamas on *it*.  
  
And finally there was an orange catbed, in which Mineko Aino purred and smiled in her sleep.  
  
Amieow was a real smarticat, and so started figuring it out. She'd been in the Void, and that had been because she had been alone. Which meant that these might be the real ones, come to rescue her and changed by whatever programming went into this scenario.  
  
There was luggage nearby, and luggage tags on the catbeds.  
  
Quiet as her semi-feline nature indicated, Amieow snuck off the bed and investigated. Her ears flicked back as Mineko got up and quietly joined her.  
  
"You're Ami. But we left Ami back at the Shrine," Mineko sounded slightly confused.  
  
More stirrings, and Amieow could tell the other two were joining them without looking.   
  
"I'm part of Ami Mizuno. Wonderland split me into two parts," explained Amieow. "Call me Amieow to make this simpler. Oh, what is this?"  
  
Mineko stared at the poster. So did the other two.  
  
There they were, all four of them, plus Hotaru and that samurai girl Sakura. Obviously they were *all* catgirls, it especially being obvious due to the fact that each of the girls had their backs towards the camera and tails were visible.  
  
They were standing before a *huge* audience, with musical instruments in their hands. There was also a banner declaring this to be "Mineko & The Pussycats Spring Tour".  
  
A whimper brought Amieow's attention to Mineko, whose eyes were sparkling and who had a grin on her face.   
  
"Don't make a mess, you four."  
  
"EEEP!" Amieow was surprised at how much she'd jumped at his voice, and was peripheraly aware that her fellow catgirls had also been surprised by Grey waking up.  
  
"We've got practice in two hours, concert will take place tonight at four." Grey yawned and stretched.  
  
"Huh?" Amieow looked at the others and saw puzzled looks from them as well.  
  
"What's wrong?" Grey could obviously tell something was wrong, but just as obviously had no clue as to what it was.   
  
"Mew?" Amieow winced at the unintelligent comment. "Grrrey-chan, I..."  
  
"Well, finally," said Grey, walking over to the four catgirls. He reached out and affectionately scratched Amieow's ears. "Took long enough. I'm not 'Master', just Grey. Though Grey-chan is perfectly acceptable."  
  
Amieow was confused. Both at the odd feelings filling her, and that Mas... Grey-chan apparently didn't think anything was wrong with the situation. While she was distracted she found herself snuggling up against him and realized that she was shorter than she had been, by nearly half a foot.  
  
"Nyowrrr?" Mineko clasped both hands over face, wondering where *that* had come from.  
  
"You miss Sakura and Hotaru, don't you?" Grey reached out and ruffled Mineko's mane. "Don't worry, they should have their checkups done. We can go visit them after i shower."  
  
Four sets of eyes watched Grey go off towards the shower, apparently completely unconcerned with his nudity in front of them.  
  
"I don't understand," complained Makoto as the shower switched on. "I was cured of being a catgirl. Usagi used the crystal."  
  
"He clearly doesn't remember we're real and this is just a simulation," Amieow said.  
  
"What's this *we*?" Makoto returned. "Ami was studying in the Shrine when we left."  
  
"Amieow is *part* of Ami," repeated Amieow. "Amieow Mewzuno. RIGHT, Ma-kat-o?"  
  
The tall cheetah grumbled a little as she contemplated her furry hands. Her immediate impulse to deny being feline was bitten back.  
  
*Shimmer THUMP!*  
  
"Nyah!" Maya cried out. "Darn. These landings are tough."  
  
There was surprise indicated on the four catgirls who had preceded her. Finally, Rei asked as it became apparent no one else would. "Uhm, I thought you gave up on Shard-san."  
  
Maya rubbed her head, then her eyes went wide as she felt one of her large feline ears. "Uhm. I wanted to return the favor and rescue *him.* It became rather obvious that this was a trap after the game cartridge changed again when you guys went in."  
  
"They were trying to trap us again? Those no good tommy flushers!" Mineko smacked her fist into the other hand's palm.  
  
"Unlikely," said Amieow, pulling out her Purrcury Computer. "This one seems specifically written to hold Grey-chan, which makes a certain degree of sense. How do you escape a cage if you don't know you're in one?"  
  
Makoto's ears twitched as the sound of the shower changed as someone moved about in the stream of water. "Well, we found what Ami left behind, so how do we convince him to come with us? Or even exit this without him being the one to open it up?"  
  
Minako stared at the poster. "Maybe we can figure it out after tonight?" Her voice was wistful.  
  
"Gathering information *is* an important part of any battle," conceded Amieow.  
  
"RrrrrRRRRR," said Rei.  
  
Everyone looked to where Rei had poked her head around the corner to the bathroom and was watching something.  
  
"Rei! Stop watching *my* sempai," declared Makoto. That should be *her* job, after all.  
  
Rei merely purred.  
  
----  
  
They had rehearsed (once) and had known this was coming.  
  
On some level, they hadn't quite been ready for it.  
  
Amieow froze. Facing youma and cardians had not been anything like this.  
  
Mewkoto stared, not really having understood what it all meant until face to face with the reality of it.  
  
Sakura wished she had her sword. Hotaru merely twitched a few times and tried to focus on something other than the situation.  
  
Miya, Mineko, and M'rei were all a bit more prepared. They hadn't quite expected *this* though.  
  
36,000 screaming fans, waiting to hear *them* play? The noise and sheer presence of the crowd was intimidating.  
  
Well, for all but one. Mineko, the sometimes Minako Aino, grinned widely and then began bouncing around the stage like a cheetah on a sugar rush. "Hey EVERYBODY! THANK YOU FOR COMING! DOING WELL?!"  
  
The semi-ritual "genki!" came rolling back like a wave of noise.  
  
Grey's voice came tinnily across on their headsets. "Okay. Go ahead with the first song."  
  
Mineko nodded. They used a recording to cover the fact that some of them (Makoto, Hotaru, and Sakura) had very little musical experience even though their 'characters' *did*. Some of them would rotate out during the evening, apparently Hotaru had a frail constitution in this VR and Sakura was considered the "new kid" on the group.  
  
Mineko began the first song, which was actually something that Mineko had heard while in England. Though the song itself was American, and it had been of a different era and served a different image - it could nonetheless be fitted to their current group's needs.  
  
"Get your motor running  
Head out on the highway  
Lookin' for adventure   
In whatever comes our way."  
  
"Like a proud Nature's child,  
we were born, born to be wilde,  
We can fly so high,  
that I never want to die,  
Born to be wilde..."  
  
Mineko/Minako felt like she was on some natural high. This was a dream of hers. Okay, she had pictured herself wearing the ruffles and lace and uber-kawaii typical idol singer clothing. And the songs would have been the typical J-pop with kawaii lyrics with the occasional English phrase thrown in just to be hip.   
  
The second song, like the first, continued the overall theme while being a fair change of pace in tempo. There were also, like the first song, changes. Apparently this world had no "Casanova".  
  
"OOoooo oooooo ooooo oooo,  
OOOooo oooooo ooooo oooo,  
blonde furred stray cat sitting on a fence,  
ain't got enough dough to pay the rent,  
I'm flat broke but I don't care,  
I strut right by with my tail in the air!"  
  
"Stray cat strut, I'm a lady cat!  
Feline cat-a-clysm,  
(hey gal, that's sad)  
Get shoes thrown at me by some mean old man,  
Get my Taming any way that I can."  
  
And what the heck was a Taming, wondered more than one of the musicians. There were things still not clear to them about the whole situation.  
  
Rei took the lead on the next song, her own dreams of being a seiyuu (voice actress) and idol singer weren't as pronounced as Minako's but still present. Like Minako, she adapted well. Though apparently her "image" was of the group's resident bad girl. So where Mineko was wearing a pink and red pair of shorts, suspenders, and t-shirt combo, M'rei was wearing leather.  
  
To be more exact, M'rei was wearing a black miniskirt, a black halter top that ended just below her breasts and left her midriff bare and was tight enough that a bra was *not* necessary. Add to this a belt made of a thick gleaming chain, and a pair of fingerless elbow length gloves made of the same gleaming black leather, and you had an outfit that made Rei want to sink through the floor and vanish from sight. The spiked collar completed her ensemble.   
  
"Wild thing!  
You make my heart sing!  
You make everything - groovy!  
Wild thing!"  
  
"Wild thing!  
I think I love you,  
But - I wanna know for sure!  
Come on, and hold me tight!  
I love you."  
  
Amieow swallowed nervously as Hotaru and Sakura left and her OWN turn came up. She didn't think she could do this if the backup hadn't been there. She made the signal, tapping twice on her microphone button, to indicate that she needed the prerecording to play. That way all she had to do was lip-synch.  
  
Besides, the lyrics for this were so... silly. And reminded her of *Usagi* for some odd reason.  
  
"I'm sorry if I'm not gentle,  
I can say that in my dreams,  
My thoughts are about to short circuit,  
Right now I want to see you."  
  
"Moonlight makes me want to cry,  
Midnight is too late to call,  
But I'm naive, what will I do?  
My heart is a kaleidoscope."  
  
"Being led into moonlight,   
we meet by chance many times over..."  
  
Ami thought she had the basics. Each song was different from the one before to both demonstrate their range as a group, and to provide a different aspect for the fanbase to focus on. Clearly some of the crowd were less enthralled with her performance than with Rei's, but the opposite was likely true as well.   
  
"Can you believe? A miracle romance."  
  
Likewise their costumes were "something for everyone." Rei was the "bad girl" - or at least wild and dangerous in her leathers. Minako was clearly the "girl next door" type. Makoto's clothing was feminine but seemed odd on her. A green cheongsam over a lighter green leotard, giving her the look of some girl from a fighting video game. Amieow considered her own outfit: full length skirt, peasant blouse. It said "Schoolgirl" or "Wallflower" she supposed.  
  
Even their collars matched the outfits. Rei's spikes contrasted with Makoto's thick but plain collar as opposed to Minako's braided one or her own plain one.   
  
Hotaru's, Sakura's and Maya's outfits were likewise different. Hotaru had worn a schoolgirl's uniform. Sakura, the keikogi and hakama of a kendo practitioner. Miya was wearing a taiko drummer's outfit, for all that she was working a more modern set of drums.  
  
As could be predicted within the established pattern, the next song was much faster and "heavier" than that "Moonlight Romance" which had been Ami's lead. It switched back to Minako being the lead singer as well.  
  
"Colour me your colour, baby  
Colour me your car   
Colour me your colour, darling   
I know who you are   
Come up off your colour chart   
I know where you're comin' from   
Call me (call me) on the line   
Call me, call me any, anytime   
Call me (call me) my love   
You can call me any day or night   
Call me   
Cover me with kisses, baby   
Cover me with love   
Roll me in designer sheets   
I'll never get enough   
Emotions come, I don't know why   
Cover up love's alibi   
Call me (call me) on the line  
Call me, call me any, anytime   
Call me (call me) oh my love   
When you're ready we can share the wine  
Call me"  
  
Then Minako handed off the lead back to Rei, who was again singing a "bad girl" song. Sort of.  
  
"Your love is like a tidal wave,   
spinnin' over my head   
You drown me in your promises,   
better left unsaid   
You're the right kind of Tamer  
to release my inner fantasies  
The effects of a winner,   
and you know that you were born to be..."  
  
Ami thought that Rei was really getting into her role as M'rei the Bad (Cat)Girl, especially the way she seemed to flirt with the audience.  
  
"You're a heartbreaker, dreammaker, love-taker,   
don't you mess around with me   
You're a heartbreaker, dreammaker, love-taker,  
don't you mess around, no, no, no."  
  
"Born to be wild" had given way to "Wild Thing" which had been followed by "Moonlight romance" (Ami thought that was the name). In its own turn came "Call Me" sung by Minako, "Heartbreaker" by Rei, and now came Makoto's turn. The song *may* have fit Mewkato, but Makoto not at all. Okay, maybe a little.  
  
"Love hurts, Love scars,   
Love wounds and mars   
Any heart not tough   
or strong enough   
To take a lot of pain, take a lot of pain   
Love is like a cloud, it holds a lot of rain   
Love hurts, Ooo-oo Love hurts   
I'm young, I know,   
But even so   
I know a thing or two -   
I learned from you   
I really learned a lot,   
really learned a lot"  
  
Amieow winced at the pain Makoto was putting into the song. Okay, maybe the song fit Makoto. She'd be willing to bet her Mercury Computer that Makoto was thinking of "her sempai".  
  
"Love is like a flame  
It burns you when it's hot   
Love hurts,   
Ooo-oo Love hurts   
Some fools think of happiness, blissfulness, togetherness   
Some fools fool themselves, I guess   
They're not foolin' me I know it isn't true   
I know it isn't true   
Love is just a lie made to make you blue   
Love hurts, Ooo-oo Love hurts"  
  
Of course, they wanted to end a bit more upbeat, so Hotaru and Sakura rejoined them. This one was fast as far as the beat went, so it was difficult. The crowd seemed to like it. Minako/Mineko took the lead again.  
  
"I keep on wand'ring the face of this earth,  
meeting so many people who are trying to be free,  
and while I wander I hear so many words,  
language barriers broken, now we've the key."  
  
"And if you want this world of yours to turn about you,  
and you're the only other person to know,  
Don't tell me!  
I'm just a singer in a Rock and roll band!"  
  
As they were concluding the song someone in the crowd threw a little red-and-white sphere that bounced, opened, and sprayed a red light on Mineko.  
  
Amieow stared as the collar that Grey-chan insisted they all wear versions of flared brightly in blue. Grey was suddenly on the stage, and there was some girl and a guy wearing costumes emblazoned with the letter "R" facing him.  
  
"If you know what's good for you, you'll surrender your Kittens now." The guy's voice was raspy and ugly.  
  
"No! These are not only my girls, they're my friends. I will never abandon them," Grey exclaimed in return.  
  
"Obviously you don't know who you're dealing with," said the girl. "To infect the world with devastation!"  
  
Grey clicked on his microphone and murmurred into it. "I hope none of you ditched your collars."  
  
"To blight all people within their nations," said the raspy voiced boy.  
  
Amieow involuntarily reached up to touch the collar surrounding her throat. The Senshi costumes had a choker, but this *had* seemed a bit odd. However, she'd mainly been able to forget about it during the concert.  
  
"Amieow," said Grey as Team Rocket continued to introduce themselves, "Pokevolve to Snow Leopard!"  
  
Amieow found herself spinning, doubling in mass, her fur bleaching of color, her face becoming more feline, and finally her claws became thicker and more damaging. "SNOW LEOPARD!" Then blinked and took a look at herself. If only she could have done this during the fight with Beryl's minions. They'd have had to clean Jadite up with a sponge.  
  
"Snow Leopard," called out Grey, "Sub Zero!"  
  
Amieow didn't have a clue, but something forced her to hold both hands out and form a swirling mist between them.  
  
"Butch!" "Cassidy!" "Team Rocket Circling Earth Both Night And Day."  
  
*SHHHIIIinnnnnnng!*  
  
"Mewkoto, M'Rei, Mineko," said Grey. "Pokevolve now!"   
  
*grow* *shift* *zam!*  
  
--------  
  
"Born to be wild" by Steppenwolf, "Stray Cat Strut" by the Stray Cats, "Wild Thing" by the Troggs, "Moonlight Romance" by N.Takeuchi (i think), "Call Me" by Blondie, "Heartbreaker" by Pat Benatar, "Love Hurts" by Nazareth, "Just a singer in a rock n roll band" by Moody Blues. All these songs can be found on Napster or with a little search on the web, or so i'm told.  
  



	22. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 22 + omake

From: metroanime@mindspring.com  
To: metroanime@mindspring.com  
Subject: asd22  
Date: Monday, August 06, 2001 8:44 PM  
  
  
A Soldier's Duty, chapter 22  
  
"We must be the change we wish to see in the world." -Mahatma Gandhi  
  
"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you  
can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people  
spend it for you." -Carl Sandburg  
  
DISCLAIMER: Naoko Takeuchi and other authors created the playground, i'm  
just messing with the equipment.  
  
---------  
  
Grey, the reincarnated Basalt - soldier of an ancient magical kingdom,  
slowly crawled his way to consciousness.  
  
"He doesn't appear to have much life energy," said a woman's voice, though  
with an oddly hollow quality.  
  
"How the heck do you drain life energy anyway?" That was a stereotypical  
bimbo voice.  
  
Cracking eyes that seemed to weigh about as much as a mini-van, Grey tried  
to look around without being obvious. People were strung up in thick white  
webbing. Most of whom he knew.  
  
The girl landing with the dark wings he did *not* know.  
  
"I am Sailor Lead Crow and I want to thank you for capturing my targets."  
Lead Crow held up a braceleted wrist as she spoke. "I think I'll show my  
appreciation by showing you a trick."  
  
"Silky! Bunny!" Some *other* woman came running out of the hallway. "Stop  
her, quick! The energy readings are..."  
  
Lead Crow sent two energy balls spinning towards the newcomer.  
  
"Mimette-sama!" "Mistress!" The two "youma" called out as the energy balls  
struck the newcomer.  
  
*PUM!* *PUM!* *SHOOM!*  
  
Grey's eyes opened involuntarily larger. A flower had appeared over  
Mimette's head and a glowing crystal popped out as the flower unfurled. He  
couldn't help but think that this looked incredibly silly.  
  
"Ah, Phobos & Deimos, the lucky twins, handmaidens of Mars." Lead Crow  
stopped gloating for a moment. "'Handmaidens of Mars' - sounds like a cheap  
paperback romance. Oh well. I'll collect your Star Seeds as well."  
  
Grey watched as the glowing gem faded into a black gloss while this Lead  
Crow person stalked forward.  
  
*SHOOOOSH!* Black squirming tentacles covered Mimette.  
  
The portion of Grey that was the old soldier Basalt, aka Nebula, began  
assessing things in a calm rational manner.  
( ) Allies - currently unable to assist, those present were wrapped in  
spider webbing.  
( ) Enemies - two youma, one girl in a transformation matrix, and a Senshi  
who was quite obviously "Turned". Power level ranging from High to Extreme.  
( ) Physical combat - laughable. He'd had arrows lodged in him, been  
attacked, beaten on, and spent entirely too much time going beyond his  
limits of late. He'd need a few days of rest just to recover from the last  
few days. Even if one discounted the difference in power levels, there  
wasn't a way to make it even a good try.  
( ) Knight Of Duty abilities - gone. Queen Serenity had meant to the seal  
them off, but it looked like she had overdone it. That *had* always been one  
of Sera's bad points. That and taking the wrong advice to heart way too  
often.  
(x) Magic - Rei's new shikigami had stated that he could use "clerical"  
magic. Magic that flowed from another source and built upon a protective or  
healing area of expertise. Forcing it didn't work, but letting it flow based  
on need had worked during those rescues. Maybe...  
  
"Prisoner no longer be,  
Sailor Mars now be free!"  
  
Rei gulped air gratefully and wheezed out her transformation phrase. She  
hadn't been able to force much air past her gag.  
  
As Sailor Mars, she could deal with spider webs rather easily. Even a near  
miss caused them to shrivel away. Makoto yelped before she hit the water  
then spent some time coughing rather than transforming.  
  
Black tentacles evaporated and Mimette stood in a seifuku. "Sailor  
Psychowitch!"  
  
Grey managed to prop himself up to a sitting position and tried another.  
"Freedom of Movement" had worked fairly well, so maybe an augmentation  
spell? Names of spells went through his head briefly and he chose one.  
Muttering a phrase over and over, he began "Prayer" - which gave bonuses to  
his allies and impeded his opponents at the same time.  
  
Makoto spat water out and called out her transformation phrase. There was a  
large sizzling noise and Sailor Jupiter transformed, but was a little crispy  
around the edges. She made a note to get out of the water next time she  
transformed.  
  
Usagi spat spider webs and called out *her* transformation phrase.  
  
Neither Ayane nor Kasumi had transformation phrases. Ayane merely said  
something nasty and unpleasant in German (which she felt was a superior  
language for cussing) while Kasumi merely went into a coldly logical mode  
(handy for ninja warriors) and started pulling throwing knives out of her  
sleeves. Then both temporarily fell over as they had been standing in the  
water when Makoto had pumped an electrical charge into it.  
  
Sailor Lead Crow sent two spinning energy balls towards the twins.  
  
"Honey BOOMERANG!" A flying metal shape stopped one of the balls.  
  
"Pulse laser!" An energy beam slammed into the other energy ball.  
  
Sailor Lead Crow stepped back, looking around. "Interesting, but  
insufficient to stop *me*. This collection of Star Seeds will only prove to  
Galaxia that I can succeed where Tin Cat failed."  
  
"Evil deserves no chance to prove itself," said a normally blonde woman  
(though currently her hair was red and considerably shorter) in a tight  
costume as she landed and formed a sword out of thin air. "Ai no senshi,  
Cutey Honey!"  
  
Setsuna landed next to Honey, and smirked as she brought her staff up.  
  
"Nuku Nuku know sexy too!" Nuku said, landing nearby.  
  
"Fools, you cannot stand against Sailor Lead Crooaggghhkkkk!" The Sailor  
found that leaving one's mouth open for an extended period while ninjas  
prepared throwing weapons was not a good thing. While it didn't actually  
cause her any damage, she had a barbed shuriken stuck in her mouth now.  
  
"Sailor Psych HEY!"  
  
With that the melee was joined. With this many players, and no set positions  
for any of the groups involved, any organization fell apart within seconds.  
  
Free for all, general melee, brawl. Whatever you want to call it, it's a  
general fight sequence where rules and strategies fall by the wayside.  
Missile weapons and ranged attacks are generally of little or no use in such  
chaos.  
  
It was made worse by the number of sides in this battle: not only was there  
two youma (actually one was a Rabbit Spirit and the other was a Spider  
Spirit), there was their former mistress - now a Farce (or Phage or whatever  
other tag you wanted to use) who was indiscriminately attacking everything,  
there was Sailor Lead Crow (still choking on a throwing star and trying to  
get it out of her mouth), there was a short pixie trying to get a clear shot  
at a boy who was mumbling on the floor, there was a skulking figure in the  
shadows, and there were two handmaidens and three Senshi assisted by a  
blonde android and a green haired Ifurita former-Senshi.  
  
Oh, and there was a catgirl cyborg (Nuku Nuku) who was trying to play with  
the big butterfly(Haruka).  
  
Igneous, aka Sehan, used one of his new attacks to give himself some cover  
so that he could remove the former Consort. (Step one in his plans to become  
the new Consort.) "Death Shroud!" A thick cloud of dust and grit formed that  
swept from the onsen to completely engulf the ryokan. Then Igneous  
discovered that there was a major drawback to his special attack. He  
couldn't see through it either.  
  
Setsuna whipped her Power Key Staff through a quick circling action.  
"Technique acquired, though it seems of little actual use. Visibility less  
than two feet." Then, peering through the dust, she started trying to figure  
out what was that shape glimpsed over there. She built up power and slammed  
an energy bolt into it when she determined it was *not* a Senshi. The sound  
of a tree falling was sufficient evidence that she'd just have to go to HTH  
attacks.  
  
Phobos and Deimos dodged wildly as someone tried to bring a tree down on  
them. As they had a poor combat potential, the two quickly decided they  
needed somewhere to hide. The problem was where and how.  
  
Sailor Mars had seen the dark cloud move in, and knew immediately that this  
was cover for an attack. Using her spiritual abilities, she determined that  
the main threat was right *there!* "Burning... MANDALA!"  
  
Sailor Jupiter shrieked as one of the youma attacked her with flaming bolts.  
Well, that had given her a direction at least, and that was clearly one of  
the bad guys. "Jupiter Thunder Clap!"  
  
Sailor Moon yelped as lightning slammed her into a post. Then something  
unusual happened. Sailor Moon got an idea. ~Waitaminute. My Healing  
Escalation doesn't hurt non-youma. So if I use a Moon Spiral Heart  
Attack...~ Sailor Moon began winding up for her attack thinking that she  
could hit everything in the ryokan without worrying about "friendly fire."  
  
------  
  
A black cat yawned. "Y'know, Celeste-baby, this test of Grey-boy's is, what  
is the modern parlance? Screwed, skunked, blown, shredded, ka'kul'vari,  
potatoed, yogoreru..."  
  
Celeste winced. "Well..."  
  
"in the street slang popular with the Tarakne (aka the mercenary  
followers/descendents of Tarak) they would say 'the plan has been unmade'  
while those of that quaint Krynn place would say 'looks like the Tinker  
Gnomes have been playing with the plumbing.'"  
  
"I know." Celeste groaned. "Ami and Amieow - the two sides of Ami Mizuno.  
The studyholic who declares she has no time for romance, and the playful and  
affectionate girl who is both shy and passionate. One side rejected him, so  
both sides are out."  
  
"You don't consider that interference from the Wizard?" A green eye opened  
to regard Celeste. "This whole thing was to be hands off, you know. Even *I*  
agreed to this stipulation, and you *know* how hard it is for me to keep  
from meddling."  
  
"I know." Celeste dropped her head in her hands.  
  
"...And don't think I don't know where you inserted one Rei Ayanami and one  
Asuka Langley Soryuu." Toltiir sniffed. "It became perfectly obvious once  
'Ayane' started cussing in German and 'Kasumi' was even more obvious."  
  
"Well, they *did* have a point." Celeste pointed out. "Of course, if they  
fail, they'll return to their original timeline. Rei dies, becomes Rei III  
and a mass murderer before her death. Asuka dies eventually from  
malnutrition and lack of medical care."  
  
Toltiir considered protesting the change of subject, but decided against it.  
Besides, he thought he could find a happier timeline to sneak the two into.  
Which was part of what a god of mischief was all about. "What about Maya  
Ibuki, Ritsuko Ikagi, and Maya Tono? For that matter if Misato doesn't  
succeed?"  
  
Celeste nodded and brought up a screen. "Maya Ibuki and Ritsuko Ikagi get  
inserted back into their mainline Evangelion timeline. Which, of course,  
means they get turned into LCL and all *that* sort of thing. Maya Tono was  
actually Eira, a drow slave talented in music. She'll end up relocated to  
the Promenade under Waterdeep, Eilistraee has uses for some non-evil drow  
over there. We were going to set her up at 'Heart Of Darkest Chocolate' but  
they're apparently shutting down."  
  
Toltiir nodded. Eilistraee, the child of Corellon Larethian and Araushnee  
(the goddess who eventually succumbed to her darker side and became Lolth)  
had a tough row to hoe. Any allies she got were dearly appreciated. Maybe  
Sailor Pocky ought to head out that way.  
  
"If Misato doesn't succeed, then she'll be inserted into a Ranma timeline  
where she'll play Genma's replacement." Celeste checked. "Yeah, one of those  
timelines where someone else is in the Genma role and trying to teach Ranma  
to be the best martial artist, etc, etc. Word came down that there was a use  
for her."  
  
Toltiir considered the timeline in question. Genma dead, having tripped and  
fallen into a lion cage while trying to train Ranma in the Catfist? A  
Captain in the Japanese Self Defense Force ending up with custody of the  
boy? Hmmmm. She could end up taking him with her to study over in Germany,  
end up engaged to Asuka, then meet up with this albino Chinese Amazon...  
Hmmmm.  
  
"In any case, it doesn't much matter. About Ami & Amieow, after all. The  
timeline which had Ami as Grey's childhood friend and lover ended up merging  
with a more mainstream timeline. So Ami would have ended up growing up older  
and alone, or with Makoto as the Senshi end up pairing off since they can't  
associate with anyone of lesser stature."  
  
Toltiir snorted. He didn't care about trivial things like that, but the sad  
fact was that most Crystal Tokyo/Neo-Silver Millenium/Utopian Kingdom  
"futures" didn't have a lot of humor in them. Banishing all impurities from  
people's hearts and the like so that everyone knew their place and happily  
worked their part and contributed to the greater whole? Yech! Try telling a  
joke to someone in one of those timelines and they'd just glassily stare at  
you with that vague smile on their face. Perfection was nice to visit, but  
who the heck wanted to live there?  
  
Celeste stopped talking, confident she'd changed the subject enough.  
  
"You forget, Celeste, I'm an Elder god - one of the Aramarian pantheon who  
has been around for more than one cycle of multiverses." Toltiir started  
grooming a paw, his voice emanating from the air nearby while his tongue was  
otherwise occupied. "Grey's primary aspect is an Aramarian *dragon* - a  
silver one. And I know full well the lore of silver dragons." The cat looked  
up from the grooming to raise an eyebrow at Celeste. "And that he drew spell  
points from me, making him a cleric. Though a pantheon cleric instead of a  
single-deity servant as he also drew from Bast and Hephaestus just to name  
two. As soon as we hammer out the details, and cats-up on the requirements,  
we'll have to get bast to him about the deal and see what sort of mischief  
en-tails."  
  
"Well, it's not like you could do any better," said Celeste.  
  
Toltiir smirked and winked. "That sounded like a challenge."  
  
------  
  
"Everyone stop shooting," Setsuna called out into the murk. Naturally she  
was hit by a Burning Mandala, a Thunder Crash, two shuriken, and a  
"psychoburst". Picking herself back up, she heard her own voice say.  
"Technique acquired: Elemental fire/spirit multishot attack. Technique  
acquired: elemental lightning discharge. Technique acquired: chi charged  
projectile weapons. Technique Acquired: telekinetic bullet. Ouch."  
  
Triggered by *that* series of attacks, another series began. Lightning  
slammed into Sailor Mars, coinciding with the fireburst that Mars had used  
to knock Ayane into a boulder.  
  
Ayane's firebomb exploded, managing to knock down both Phobos and Deimos.  
  
Nuku Nuku continued her singleminded pursuit of the big butterfly. Haruka  
had given up trying to hit Grey with a "World Shaking" in order to escape  
being played with by the big kittygirl.  
  
Bunny's "Raging Libido" attack had managed to hit Silky, who had been so  
distracted she had been pounded into the ground by Sailor  
Psychowitch/Mimette.  
  
"Who's next?!" Sailor Psychowitch yelled into the silence.  
  
Which, of course, was the typical sort of stupid mistake that youma had been  
making for years.  
  
Sailor Psychowitch was hit simultaneously by Kasumi's shuriken (the feather  
shaped ones she had gotten the idea for while watching an old Gatchaman  
episode), Sailor Jupiter's lightning, and Setsuna's "high impact beam". The  
first attack did little damage, the lightning even less, but the latter one  
reduced her threat potential to people tripping over the smouldering crater.  
  
Setsuna stilled her breathing again, listening to movement after the  
explosion. Things had settled into a pattern. Strike, move, listen, then  
strike when you had a reasonable chance of determining that your target  
wasn't an ally.  
  
Cutey Honey changed to her armored form just before some shuriken rattled  
off the iron. "Cut it out! It's ME!" She was reasonably sure that shuriken  
(even if they were shaped like feathers) meant one of the ninja.  
  
Sailor Lead Crow turned towards the helpful identification and sped off.  
There was a dim shape that had to be one of these heroes. Another Star Seed  
for Galaxia! *PUM!* *PUM!*  
  
Cutey Honey staggered under some strange energy attack, then turned to deal  
with this threat. She was wearing a sailor suit, so was this another of the  
Senshi's allies? Or maybe not. She thought she'd met all of them, except  
that Neptune and Uranus.  
  
Sailor Lead Crow came to a halt. No flower? No Star Seed? Did this enemy  
have some defense? Galaxia would have to be alerted to this new factor! She  
spread her wings, ready to fly out of this cloud and return to her mistress.  
  
-------  
  
Rotating her staff around, Setsuna noticed a pair spread wings of some  
really big bird. Honey didn't have wings (that she knew of). Sailor Mars  
didn't have wings. Neither did Sailor Jupiter, the two ninjas, or Phobos and  
Deimos anymore. Grey was currently mumbling some spell and she knew this  
because she was standing protectively over him. Sailor Lead Crow *did* have  
wings. "Target acquired..." She'd been trying all sorts of things with her  
basic energy blast: altering it from a pulse laser to a beam, to an impact  
bolt, rapid fire, build up and big blast all around her (it had been an  
abandoned building out in the mountains, she'd seen a roach and freaked a  
little), and a wide area blast. (She'd had trouble sleeping that first night  
she'd turned into an Ifurita.)  
  
Smiling slightly, Setsuna thought it appropriate to whisper her attack. She  
hadn't met her younger self since the change and therefore been able to  
relearn the "Dead Scream" attack.  
  
Setsuna felt a danger coming closer, whipped her staff back without looking  
and bonked someone who was trying to stab Grey in the back. She wasn't  
inclined to let such things happen with *her* around. Where was she? Oh  
yeah. "laser... beam!" ~Hmmm. Needs work. I'll have to work on more dramatic  
attack names.~  
  
Hmmm. Fog was clearing and the shape was still moving. ~Let's see...~ "XRAY  
LASER!" ~oooo! She *felt* that one all right!~  
  
-------  
  
She'd had to interrupt her attack twice, mainly because people kept shooting  
at her. She just KNEW Rei had done that on purpose. Rei was so mean!  
  
Sailor Moon came to the end of her windup. "Moon Spiral Heart... Attack!"  
The pink glow flared out, spreading first in a dome, then becoming a heart  
shape that surrounded the entire ryokan.  
  
Sailor Mars picked herself off the ground, eyes narrowed as the magic washed  
over her. ~Why the heck am I at an onsen, anyway?~  
  
Resting against a post, Sailor Jupiter wondered what had happened. It almost  
felt as if she were waking up from a long nap.  
  
Ayane, Kasumi, Phobos, Deimos, and Honey felt the magic washing against  
them. Only Kasumi was currently conscious and she didn't know what this was,  
only that it was some kind of blanket attack. She flipped to the top of the  
ryokan, and from there outside the area of effect. She hoped this wasn't  
hard radiation of some kind.  
  
Setsuna braced herself against the assault, gritting her teeth and holding  
the Power Key Staff in a death grip. She would shield herself and the boy  
under her from this assault. There was no *way* she was ready to go back to  
being Sailor Pluto and laboring under the geas to protect the Crystal Tokyo  
timeline. Sailor Moon was trying to reinstate the status quo, to banish  
their opponents and cut through enchantments, to heal their side's wounded.  
Setsuna Meiou wasn't ready to relinquish her newfound freedom.  
  
Sailor Moon frowned, it felt like something was pushing back at several  
points where she was sending the attack. She immediately began another  
windup. This time for sure.  
  
Phobos and Deimos stirred, found out they were ravens again, and were  
understandably quite upset. Phobos cawed a lot and Deimos sulked.  
  
Igneous woke up, saw his target, apparently unguarded, and started looking  
around for his knife again.  
  
Queen Serenity, checking up on Igneous' progress, saw this about to occur  
and started her own windup.  
  
Ayane, whom most people would agree was *not* a very nice person, groaned  
and picked herself up out of the crater she'd made. She also wondered why  
she had this strange urge to bake cookies and try to be upbeat and  
optimistic.  
  
Doctor Johnny Fever(aka John Caravella), hiding in his room, realized he was  
cleaner and more sober than he'd been in years. He proceeded to leave the  
ryokan in order to rectify the latter of the two conditions.  
  
Arthur Carlson, Maytag repairman and former executive of a Cincinnati radio  
station, decided that Tokyo was nearly as crazy a place as his brief stay in  
Flagstaff Arizona had been. Except that no ancient Native American ghost  
warriors attacked major appliances for no apparent reason in Tokyo. At least  
that he'd seen so far. Once again he experienced a pang of nostalgia for his  
days at WKRP, which had turned out to be one of the more sane periods in his  
life.  
  
Setsuna felt the magic building up around her, reached down with her left  
hand, grabbed Grey's arm, and flew straight up at a high rate of speed. At  
his squeak and suddenly wrapping himself around her, she realized something  
she hadn't before: which was that he had been in the onsen. Naked. They were  
currently alone at a height of 11,000 feet, well out of the dust cloud that  
had made the onsen battle such a mess. Setsuna blushed brightly enough for  
her face to qualify as an anti-collision light.  
  
Which was actually a good thing, as the two of them slowly turned their  
heads to see a large plane go by not too far away. Close enough that they  
could see all the faces pressed up against windows as they hovered there,  
water still dripping...  
  
Grey, *not* able to fly, clutched onto Setsuna as if she were the only thing  
keeping him from falling 11,000 feet to become so much bug splat on the  
ground below. (She was.)  
  
Flares of pink and silver light, lightning and fire, and explosions in the  
ryokan below announced the battle was being renewed. Setsuna considered it  
briefly. She wasn't detecting any signs of youma, and all of the attack  
signatures were identified as being Silver Millenium oriented. Conclusion:  
the good guys were shooting at each other. "C'mon, Grey-ch... SAN. I think  
you've had enough dating for tonight, let's go home."  
  
Grey nodded, not aware he'd just agreed to spend the night at Setsuna's  
home.  
  
----------  
  
Mamoru Chiba sat back from his perch at the Hino shrine and watched the  
moon. It was nice to be able to just sit back and appreciate the beauty for  
once. No ancient evils out to devour mankind. No worrying about a Menace  
From Beyond The Stars. Their current enemy lacked the armies of youma, much  
less something like Metal'la as a backup. No monster turning up in the wee  
hours of each every night. So far the only really bad one had been that  
Virtual Beast.  
  
A shape flitting across the moon caused the sometimes Tuxedo Mask to lose  
that train of thought.  
  
That had been Setsuna flying through the sky, a naked boy with *very* pale  
skin clinging to her.  
  
Mamoru blinked twice, slowly got up, then went to the front of the shrine.  
  
(Jangle jangle) (clap clap clap) (rub rub) "Better him than me. VERY better  
him than me."  
  
--------  
  
"Tanaka," said the woman, bowing politely.  
  
Tiger Tanaka swirled the wine around in his glass idly, then made a slight  
gesture towards the other chair at the table. "Do join me. It's simple fare,  
but then the doctors tell me to stay away from the fancier stuff nowadays."  
  
"Hmmm, fish and rice. Why am I not surprised?" The woman plopped herself  
down into the indicated chair. "No sake?"  
  
"Doctors," indicated Tanaka with some distaste. "I think I've had enough of  
this battle, old friend. It is just unfortunate that none of my personnel  
are ready to fulfill my role in this."  
  
"The days of derring do, of spies who actually go out and spy, living by  
quick wit like some swashbuckler of an earlier era, have passed." The woman  
poked at the fish without any enthusiasm. "The days where your ninja could  
pass like ghosts through the modern world faded in the 70s, and now are  
growing ever more distant. Spies nowadays are computer operators, former  
hackers and engineers, who sift electronic ghosts and streams of data to  
find a pattern. You, my friend, are a relic of a time the world would like  
to deny existed at all."  
  
"When I pass," admitted Tanaka, "it is most likely an accountant will take  
over the post. With the Cold War ashes, and Chinese security what it is, my  
agency is now seen more as an expense than as useful. We are left with only  
the shadows of former glories in this modern era. As our society has become  
more technologically dependent, our society has itself become more like a  
machine - cold and impersonal."  
  
"Nature itself is often cold and impersonal," responded the woman. "As well  
as thoroughly messy and frequently painful. Still, this is not what I came  
here for, old friend."  
  
"Ah, well, I'm old." Tanaka chuckled. "Old men are *supposed* to ramble, you  
know. I'm entitled."  
  
The woman nodded in response.  
  
"Is it *that* time, then?" Tanaka raised an eyebrow. "I thought it wasn't  
for another seven years."  
  
"The beginnings of the end have already occurred. There are less than five  
days remaining." The woman said simply. "It's about to become the busy  
season."  
  
Tiger frowned and pushed his plate away, his appetite fled. "Well, it  
appears we will be meeting again soon."  
  
"Soon enough." Mistress Death sighed deeply as if the weight of the world  
were on her shoulders. "Too soon. I have walked with you most of your life,  
Tanaka-san. The next time we meet will be the last."  
  
-----------  
  
Igneous ran, plans already forming in his head. Let the Queen cool down.  
Then find a way to explain to the Queen that he had been serving her own  
interests while shifting the blame elsewhere. Maybe to Sailor Pluto, since  
she was already out of favor. Play to the Queen's jealousy and pride, tweak  
her desires for the Kingdom. He'd be forgiven, it would just take some work.  
And the eventual prize would be all the sweeter.  
  
Igneous had always had an odd talent. He could lie, even under a truthspell  
from the Imperial Crystal, simply by believing his own lies. When the Queen  
checked, he would be telling the truth at least as far as his own mind was  
concerned.  
  
A glowing red dot stopped the running Igneous. Someone was here? On a lonely  
mountain road near a ryokan that was still lit by flashes of Silver  
Millenium attacks?  
  
"Well, bub, the Queen gave you a second chance, and you blew that one too.  
Do you know why she won't give you a third chance?"  
  
Igneous barely kept his knees from knocking and a cold sweat poured off of  
him, filling the night air with a sour smell. "It's not my fault..."  
  
Obsidian flicked his cigarette out onto the road where it sent little sparks  
floating briefly out. "Sehan, Sehan, Sehan. You can lie to the Queen, you  
can lie to yourself. Lie to me? Not a healthy thing to do."  
  
Igneous began looking around. He could still escape. He could recover from  
this turn of events. He could hide where no one would expect him, like  
Botswana.  
  
Obsidian walked slowly forward, little smile in place. "I just remembered  
one of my special attacks, Sehan. Look at the bright side, in another  
thousand years maybe you'll be reborn again."  
  
"No! I... please?" Igneous, aka Sehan, made another mistake. He turned to  
run, figuring that as Obsidian was a hero, he wouldn't shoot someone in the  
back.  
  
------  
  
The fight at the ryokan stopped as the dust finally died down and a  
bloodcurdling scream could be heard echoing from the mountains.  
  
"What was that?!" Sailor Jupiter asked nervously, referring to the scream as  
well as the gurgling way it cut off.  
  
Usagi's pigtails floated up from the hot spring where she'd submerged  
herself, hiding instinctively when that scream had rung out. They were  
followed a moment later by Usagi's head splashing up, currently an  
interesting shade of scarlet.  
  
"We don't know," said Serenity, looking down at where her long flowing dress  
had become waterlogged. Basalt had been right, long ago, when he'd mentioned  
the typical court gowns as being less than practical outside that court. Now  
that the Royal Court consisted of a conference room and set of suites at a  
Holiday Inn, it was becoming obvious that she would have to put away the  
trappings of court for now. "Though it sounded like someone went off on  
their own initiative and decided to remove a threat. Well, We shall speak to  
the old wolf later."  
  
Sailor Mars grumbled. "Well, so much for *this* date. What a night."  
  
Nuku ran by, still pursuing a little pixie.  
  
The pixie flew up now that the cloud was no longer obscuring vision, turned  
and summoned her magic. "Let's see how *you* like this!"  
  
The energy blast shot past Nuku Nuku, who simply dodged, bounced off a roof,  
and finally caught the butterfly.  
  
Two crows managed a startled cawing noise as the burst hit them.  
  
Ayane limped off, not wanting anyone to see how much she'd gotten burned by  
that pink light. It didn't show *physically* other than a lot of red skin,  
but it still hurt.  
  
Bounding to the roof, and then down to the top of a ceremonial rock jutting  
from the water, Kasumi looked around, blinking. "Say, wasn't this your date  
with Shard-san, Hino-san?"  
  
"Yes," said Rei, still wondering why none of her dates went as she'd  
planned. Trying to date Mamoru hadn't worked out. Now she had really messed  
up. And just *look* what had happened to Phobos and Deimos now!  
  
Kasumi "So where *is* Shard-san?"  
  
"He's right..." Rei looked about and gasped. The last she had seen of her  
date, he had been in the water. "AhhhhhH!"  
  
----------  
  
Dawn in Tokyo.  
  
Michiru stretched happily and began her work. "Ze Hino Shrine, it needs be  
tidy, no?" Michiru was *not* amnesiac, which was what Haruka believed. No,  
she simply found her current transformation to be oddly acceptable.  
  
Odd, because cleaning and polishing had never been so fulfilling prior to  
that transformation. And she also knew that Haruka as a pixie was under  
someone else's control. Haruka blamed Shard-san for the current  
transformation, despite that it did not fit the boy's modus operandi at all.  
Turning her into a French Maid who got turned on by domestic chores? It  
*definitely* fit the tactics they'd seen so far of this mysterious Wizard.  
  
Of course, she'd tried to turn into Sailor Neptune, but had wanted to wait  
until after everyone was gone. That way if it was embarassing, nobody would  
witness it. She had transformed, it *had* been embarassing, and that had  
further proved that this enemy had some influence over Haruka.  
  
Either that or Haruka's naughtier impulses had surfaced during those  
transformations. Which, come to think of it, was *also* quite likely.  
  
--------  
  
Grey came awake as an arm flopped over his head. He puzzled over it  
momentarily. Not *his* arm either. Slender, deeply tanned, dark green polish  
on her nails.  
  
Oh. Just Puu-chan. Grey closed his eyes.  
  
Eyes shot back open, followed immediately by a "yeep" and rolling away.  
Setsuna?! What the heck?! Where? How?  
  
~Oh yeah, we came back to her place. i insisted she take the bed, i'd take  
the futon. Then she had me wind her up again. She started arguing about how  
she couldn't take the bed with my injuries, and ended up by her threatening  
to knock me out if i didn't take the bed. i disagreed and... everything went  
black?!~  
  
Looking frantically for something to wear (besides a pair of pink pajama  
bottoms borrowed from Setsuna) Grey realized something very very important.  
Setsuna Meiou didn't bluff.  
  
--------  
  
Usagi suppressed a yawn. They'd done everything but drain the spring and  
never found a trace of Grey. Two hours they'd gone over it. No sign, which  
meant it was likely he had escaped or gotten kidnapped.  
  
Old hat really. Guys who associated with the Sailor Senshi were *always*  
getting kidnapped, turned into youma, targetted *by* youma, or having their  
energy drained. Heck, look how many times things like that happened to Naru!  
  
Usagi failed to supress the next yawn.  
  
"Oneechan, you're getting all baggy-eyed," Shingo reported, making a face.  
  
Usagi shrugged, feeling something odd in the air but unable to tell what.  
Shingo looked disappointed but then that old brother-sister sparring had  
been mostly absent for over a year now.  
  
Usagi was just glad that at least it wasn't Mamo-chan being kidnapped this  
time.  
  
---------  
  
Setsuna ignored the panic in Grey's eyes. If he were more certain of himself  
or the relationship he had with her, she would engage in some good natured  
teasing.  
  
As it was she would go easy and gently, as one would handle a spooked  
animal. It was easier to coax him, and he'd never gotten into the games of  
dominance or one-upsmanship that some guys had been into. Or at least Nebula  
had never been, and Setsuna saw a lot of Nebula in this incarnation.  
  
"Excuse me, Grey-ch.. SAN. There's a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that  
should fit you. As it is I've got some business to take care of, do you mind  
locking up?" Setsuna listened to his fumbling acquiescence but her mind was  
already racing ahead. There were two individuals she needed to speak with.  
  
She'd have to call and leave messages to meet later before they left for  
school. Ah, a busy day it promised to be.  
  
---------  
  
Minako, or Mineko as she was currently in catgirl mode, was confused.  
  
Her mother had turned out to be (now that Minako was revealed to be Sailor  
Cheetah) *against* the engagement. In fact, she now wanted her "little girl"  
to go to a temple for purrification. Errr, no. All she had to do was get  
near her iinazuke and she was purring. Purification. Then enrolled in a nice  
school somewhere where they didn't have youma or sailorsuited warriors of  
love and justice, etc, etc.  
  
Her *father* had argued extensively and passionately at the other end of  
things. Mineko was *already* involved. And as Mineko had already been  
through two hours of a Shinto exorcism without any more effect than  
irritability from having paper wards stuck to her for said period of time,  
there was no reason to think Mineko would be seperated from Minako by a  
Buddhist or Christian ceremony, was there? Mineko Aino might be the fast and  
furrious Sailor Cheetah, but she had a fiance who was already understanding  
of such things. And how many Japanese boys would tolerate an engagement to  
someone hairier than they were?  
  
So the argument had broken out and continued for most of a day and showed no  
sign of anything being resolved soon.  
  
Now her mother was checking out schools in Australia and Switzerland. Her  
father was telling her to elope. Her mother had almost backed off her  
position when her father had mentioned that Cheetahs were an endangered  
species and that they had litters. So Minako might have between four and six  
kits at a time. THAT had almost had Minako taking her mother's stance.  
Switzerland didn't sound nearly so bad for once.  
  
On the one hand, Grey-chan was nice. Moving to America wasn't as big a  
concern for her, she could already speak the language and there was a chance  
she could break into music *there* instead of Japan. Not as an idol singer,  
but maybe into pop music. Why she could be the next Elvis Parsley! She had a  
chance at him, which would break Danburite's curse of never being threatened  
with a choice of love over duty. He was *still* the reincarnation of Basalt,  
the Knight of Duty. As her father had pointed out, this was a guy who could  
relate to her and accept her no matter what weirdness came down with her  
current crimefighting activities.  
  
On the other hand, she had friends - the Senshi whom she loved dearly (not  
like the hentai press speculations!) and duties to protect her Princess.  
While Serenity might have cancelled those obligations out by removing the  
Sailor Venus identity, she had made those oaths and bonds in good faith.  
Even without being Sailor Venus and the ability to contribute as part of the  
Sailor Senshi, these were all dear friends whom she'd miss greatly. If she  
went to Queen Serenity, apologized, and promised not to question her orders  
again, Minako was relatively sure she'd be reinstated as a member of the  
Senshi and her werecheetah abilities negated. She could return to being  
Sailor Venus, beautiful soldier of love and justice!  
  
On the other hand again, privately, she could admit the idea of being the  
star of a smaller group had some appeal. American superheroes were unlike  
the sentai teams of Japan, but it *could* work out. She was calling herself  
Sailor Cheetah, a little costume change and she could be Quickgold or  
something, and her sidekick Grey. Batman and Wondergirl, Supergirl and  
Robin, Abbot and Costello, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, Cheetah and Catboy!  
She could do it! She could have a boyfriend, be a costumed superpowered  
crimefighter, graduate (everyone knew the academic standards in American  
high schools were pathetic), and pursue her singing career! Or even get into  
NASA! Couldn't NASA use an astronaut with werecheetah strength and  
durability? A singing sensation superhero space shuttle astronaut!  
  
Or...  
  
Minako deliberately shifted back to human and let out a deep breath. She was  
*very* confused by all this.  
  
If only Grey-chan had been cute. It would have been a no-brainer then.  
  
--------  
  
Setsuna watched from a distance. The age gap between herself and Nebula's  
current incarnation made this difficult. Still the competition was stacked  
up nicely.  
  
Her main competition was Mineko Aino, and Setsuna felt quite a bit of  
sympathy for the girl. If she lost to Minako/Mineko - she could bear it. In  
almost every future she'd foreseen prior to losing her Sailor Pluto  
transformation, Minako Aino had never freed herself from Danburite's curse.  
Even in those futures where one or another of the Senshi had found love, it  
was never the Venus Princess. (Usually it turned out to be Ami who had a  
life outside the guard, though she'd seen a few futures where Rei and  
Yuuichiro had turned into a couple.) Even trysts with her own gender had  
been foiled by the curse.  
  
No, Setsuna wouldn't be completely unhappy if Minako Aino wised up and  
sought to claim Grey Shard's heart. He could do a lot worse himself, and it  
was quite likely that his seriousness would compliment her carefree  
attitude. Enough in common to relate, enough different not to compete.  
  
Further back in this competition was the samurai girl. Setsuna was far from  
an idiot and had seen the way he had looked at the proper and dignified  
Sakura Shinguichi. Setsuna *was* fairly observant and had seen the  
considering way that Sakura had looked at Grey when she had thought no one  
was looking. She *was* quite pretty, and had a poise and mysterious attitude  
to her that seemed likely to draw Grey in. Still, Setsuna wasn't quite sure  
how to place the samurai and her relationship to Grey, would either of them  
be good for the other?  
  
Even further back, the handmaidens Phobos and Deimos. Yet these too could  
Setsuna feel sympathy for. Bound to an unkind fate where they were reborn as  
mere ravens, serving their mistress Rei Hino as they had served the Mars  
Princess. If they had a chance to be heroes of their own merit, Setsuna  
thought they'd do well, and tying their own stars to that of Basalt/Grey  
would do for a start on that path.  
  
She, herself, she placed somewhere between Mineko and Serenity.  
  
The others, the ninja and her fellow Senshi, were unlikely. Serenity, also  
unlikely. Basalt had been forgiving in that there were few hard feelings,  
but would never extend his trust again after it had been abused. The only  
chance Serenity would have would be either to prove that she would never  
dismiss him again even at need (*how* Serenity could do this was uncertain)  
or to re-invoke duties and oaths and force him to stand again as her  
Consort.  
  
If THAT happened, Setsuna felt it unlikely that Basalt's heart would ever  
heal. There would be cold duty and he would fulfill those duties, in the  
manner of a soldier who held duty and personal honor in the highest regard.  
He would act the part, no doubt, and go discharge his duties with his usual  
competence.  
  
Setsuna would rather see the handmaidens marry Grey. She'd rather see USAGI  
marry Grey. Well, maybe not that. Even if they weren't related in this life,  
that was sort of creepy. And possibly not that albino ninja. But just about  
anyone else on the fiancee list was fair game before she'd watch Basalt go  
through THAT level of pain.  
  
It was time to interview the front runners. If she herself was not chosen,  
it was needful to find the one who could best heal his heart.  
  
She was an expert on time. And time was running out.  
  
===========  
  
OMAKE OMAKe OMAkE OMaKE OmAKE oMAKE omake  
  
"An Ultimate Technique?"  
  
Genma nodded to Soun. "Yes. I had considered the Catfist, supposedly an  
unbeatable technique which allowed the practitioner to fight with feline  
agility and speed."  
  
Akane frowned, unsuccessfully hiding her jealousy at the thought of learning  
a special manuever like that.  
  
"Unfortunately," Genma continued, "the next page not only described the idea  
of training someone in that technique as a moron, but pointed out that the  
technique is easily defeated by using indirect methods such as throwing a  
cat toy out."  
  
"Ah, I see," Soun nodded wisely.  
  
"I considered training Ranma in 'Hyuri's Fury' - transforming him into an  
unstoppable berserker," continued Genma again. "However, that technique also  
has its flaws." Genma didn't state that his main reason for not teaching  
that technique to Ranma was that most likely Ranma would be guilty of  
patricide eventually. Which would seriously put a crimp in his father's  
plans of living a comfortable and indolent retirement.  
  
"I see," repeated Soun.  
  
"There were many 'Ultimate Techniques' that I considered teaching Ranma.  
Many were 'Instant Kill' methods like the Hokuto Shin Ken or Shiva's Touch.  
The problem with those was that I couldn't find the current practitioners of  
such techniques, much less uncover anything better than a first hand account  
of having seen the results of the technique."  
  
Soun nodded. This *still* didn't explain why Ranma was not present.  
  
"There were evasion techniques like the Instantaneous Teleport and the  
Shadowleap, but those evaded me as well. There were hints and rumors of  
methods to awaken one's full chi potential, the power of magic, or psychic  
talents within a disciple." Genma sighed deeply and tried to look stoic and  
dignified.  
  
Kasumi thought that Genma looked constipated and made a note to get some  
high fiber foods.  
  
"I tracked down rumors of strange and esoteric martial arts manuevers. The  
'Hadoken', 'Limbic Kai', 'Drop Dead Gorgeous', 'Soul Fist', 'Sarcophogus  
Surprise', and many others. Some I was able to have Ranma learn, and add to  
the boy's arsenal. We travelled to Tibet and India where he studied under  
masters of chi."  
  
Soun interrupted eagerly. "Wait a moment. Did you learn these methods  
yourself?"  
  
"Uhm, no, actually. All of the various sensei refused to show me the secret  
of their craft, and one of them used some manuever on Ranma so that he would  
only reveal those secrets to a worthy heir."  
  
Nabiki snorted. Well, from what she had seen so far of her father's friend,  
she could see why some martial arts master would be reluctant to show Genma  
their secrets. Ranma though must be pretty special or at least promising for  
them to confide in his son.  
  
"So did you succeed in teaching him an Ultimate Technique?" Soun pressed.  
  
"Well, that would depend on what you mean by an Ultimate Technique..."  
hedged Genma.  
  
"An Ultimate Technique, also called a Combo, a Hissatsu Waza, a Finishing  
Move, or a Special Manuever, is either a single manuever which bypasses the  
target's defenses, or (more often) is actually a set of related moves which  
are a next stage in martial arts," recited Kasumi with her eyes closed. She  
read a lot. "They are as advanced above a regular martial art such as judo  
as a judo master is above an untrained person. Often the Ultimate Technique  
carries a price - either in difficulty in acquiring the technique, pain and  
suffering in learning the technique, special bloodlines or ceremonies to  
even begin learning the technique, mental instability or insanity caused by  
the technique, demonic or divine possession, quests, an Epic Fate, or some  
other great hardship which is laid upon the practitioner's karma."  
  
Everyone spent a moment staring at Kasumi as she finished.  
  
"Yes, well," Genma began.  
  
There was a knocking at the front door. Nabiki brightened immediately and  
began running towards it. This could be Ranma at last.  
  
"Hello, are... you... Ranma?!" Nabiki stared at the tall, muscular, handsome  
boy. No, not handsome. He was drop dead gorgeous!  
  
The boy sighed deeply, reached down to the fallen girl, and used a pressure  
point manuever to restart her heart. "Yeah, I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry about  
this."  
  
  



	23. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 23 + omake

From: metroanime@mindspring.com  
To: "Shade" rowan_phoenix@333.org; "Andrew Greaves" angreave@yahoo.com; "Celeste Byrd" minazuki@pathcom.com; "John Rasmussen" lictre@mailbag.com; "Liath MoonShadow" Liath@softhome.net; Piccolo181@aol.com  
Cc: "White Pheonix" skysaber@qwest.net  
Subject: asd 23  
Date: Saturday, August 25, 2001 5:58 PM  
  
i'm not satisfied with the chase scene, and have had to put off the food  
fight for chapter 24, but i think this may have to do, particularly with the  
job hunt now taking priority over everything else. -g  
  
Chapter 23, A Soldier's Duty  
  
omake at the end.  
  
You can get the disclaimer elsewhere. Otherwise you know the drill.  
  
"I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate  
him." -Booker T Washington  
  
"If a vegetarian eats only vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?" -  
Anonymous  
  
---------  
  
Setsuna loved tea.  
  
She could identify Yamamotoyama's "Special Occasion Green" from "Hubei  
Silver Tip" to "Temple Of Heaven" to all of their variations and Western  
equivelants. To Setsuna Meiou, a really good cup of tea was a balm for the  
soul and a healer of the body. She could list the benefits of green tea  
readily, and could bore the socks off of almost anyone given a chance to  
speak about tea.  
  
If one were to get Setsuna Meiou speaking with Belldandy and Kasumi Tendo  
about tea, most likely they'd still be comparing notes and (gently) arguing  
about varieties and blends several days later.  
  
The person across from her was in many ways an enigma, and that was  
something that Setsuna could not allow to continue. If Crystal Tokyo were no  
longer a concern, then there were still other reasons for her to know more  
of this one she had fought alongside the previous night.  
  
Honey Kisaragi was unflappable as she looked back at Setsuna, with a quite  
credible poker face of her own in place.  
  
"So, Kisaragi-san." Setsuna pondered which question to ask first.  
  
"You're screening the fiancees to see who is the best match, then you'll  
press your own claim but also be ready to put forward your own favorite in  
an attempt to subtly influence things," guessed Honey.  
  
Setsuna blinked. "How?"  
  
"I'm doing the same thing," explained Honey, leaving out that while she was  
sorely tempted by the possibility of having children, and she did like the  
boy - she didn't think she could love him. Any feelings on her part, she was  
uncertain of the honesty of. "So, android to cyborg, what can I do for you?"  
  
Setsuna wasn't used to be caught offguard but rallied quickly. "Your masters  
in the government..."  
  
Honey interrupted quickly. "Sorry, but I can't stand that implication. The  
government rebuilt me from a particularly nasty fight, but the whole  
'Master' concept is not applicable. I'm an independent agent as far as  
*that* goes. My path and theirs diverges when the interests of the people  
are no longer their first concern."  
  
"That often, eh?"  
  
Honey nodded with a wry expression.  
  
"Well, uhm," Setsuna was *really* not sure of how to deal with this change  
of plans.  
  
"Personally, I thought Ami and Grey made a good couple, but that's pretty  
much past now," said Honey. "I think Minako *might* be too upbeat, Hotaru  
too prone to gloominess, Rei is too tempremental, and Makoto - now that the  
love spell's been dispelled she's back to looking for taller or cuter boys."  
  
Setsuna smirked and leaned forward, a playful light in her eyes as she  
considered. "Sakura is slightly technophobic from what I've seen. That  
albino ninja scares him."  
  
Honey couldn't help interrupting again, winking at the former Senshi. "Guess  
he's got a survival instinct in there somewhere. Girl, she scares anyone  
with any sense. Maybe we could get her fixed up with that Obsidian guy."  
  
Setsuna got out a notepad and pencil and scribbled that down quickly. She  
remembered the Knight Of Fear. Actually, if she could find Coral (a  
mercenary and mischievous girl who'd been a confidante of Princess Mars)  
then Obsidian would likely mellow out quite a bit. Ayane + Obsidian? It  
might actually mellow both of them a little.  
  
While Setsuna wrote, Honey speculated. "That other girl-ninja, whatsername,  
has a kind and innocent quality to her, which is odd considering her line of  
work."  
  
"Kasumi," supplied Setsuna. "And I think most ninja nowadays are engaged in  
corporate espionage and working for the government."  
  
"Well that and Ninjaburger," added Honey, looking at just such an  
establishment across the street.  
  
"Ninjaburger, Pizza Ninja, Kunoichi Fried Chicken, Samurai Steak House, oh  
sorry, don't count that one. Ninja Mountain Theme Park..." Setsuna rolled  
her eyes. "Ninja *used* to be the bad guys, when did they become so PC and  
trendy?"  
  
Honey shrugged.  
  
"Phobos and Deimos are too small... why are you shaking your head like  
that?"  
  
"You left before the whole thing came to an end." Honey Kisaragi made a  
face. "They were hit by that little pixie-girl's attack."  
  
"Oh?" Setsuna thought about it for a moment before she winced. "Not like  
Kaioh-san, are they?"  
  
"Oh, you mean 'ze petite mam'selle Michiru?'" Honey parodied Michiru's new  
accent briefly. "Not quite. Though with that and the pixie choice, everybody  
(except Haruka) had figured out that when she was in 'Peter Pan' the enemy  
managed to get an influence into her. Even Sailor Moon figured it out. Queen  
Serenity and Sailor Moon double slammed her with healing blasts, she's back  
to human and a little crispy around the edges but she'll be fine."  
  
"Good," Setsuna shuddered at the thought of being 'French Maid'ed. Though it  
might actually be fun for brief periods, say a nice mountain cabin with a  
certain fiance and all the doors and windows nailed shut. "So how did they  
end up?"  
  
"Well, they're..." Honey tried to find a polite way to put it. She'd  
actually seen this before, looking at timelines briefly while out of the  
simulation. There had been one Moon Kingdom where the atmosphere was more  
"1001 Nights" than "Magical Japanese Schoolgirl" flavored. Where Mamoru  
Chiba was attended by several female genie, and Beryl an ancient sorceress  
who sought to bind those genie to her will.(1) "They're, uhm, exotic  
dancers."  
  
Setsuna winced again. Though it also might be fun for brief periods, alone  
with a loved one.  
  
Honey was thinking around similar lines, but added that she wished that that  
Queen Serenity had been hit by one of those bursts. A transformation to a  
polite and demure French Maid sort would have actually been an improvement,  
at least in Honey's opinion.  
  
-------  
  
Queen Serenity sneezed briefly.  
  
"My Queen, are you sure about this?" Luna's tone of voice left little doubt  
that she was *not*.  
  
"Of course, Sailor Uranus is one of Our soldiers, as is Sailor Neptune."  
Queen Serenity looked quite queenly. Except for the bags under her eyes,  
that is. "Restoring them both to normal and bringing them under Our  
enlightened rule is within Our duties."  
  
"..." Artemis hung his head for a moment, trying to find the most politic  
way of stating this. "My Queen, what if it is a trap?"  
  
"Hush, Artemis," gently chided the Queen. "This enemy is not of the ancient  
Kingdom and is therefore of little consequence. When both Our Daughter and  
Ourselves combined Our strengths, We were easily able to erase the taint on  
Sailor Uranus, were we not?"  
  
"That was *two* ginzuishou, combined attacks, and Sailor Uranus is still  
flat on her back babbling about her lover and chocolate syrup," mumbled  
Luna.  
  
Queen Serenity heard and frowned slightly, but Luna was still trying. Unlike  
traitorous Basalt who consorted with not only her own Senshi but common  
women after their little misunderstanding.  
  
There was the transformed Sailor Neptune, currently wearing her little black  
dress with the white fluffy apron, smiling and standing like a target right  
at the enterance of the shrine. Queen Serenity raised her clenched hand, and  
when she opened it, the light of a Ginzuishou (there being currently three  
of them due to the vagaries of time travel: Serenity, Usagi, and Chibiusa  
all had one) shone forth.  
  
A ravening white light sped towards the unmoving figure just as Artemis  
began to voice concern over the fact that she *was* completely unmoving.  
  
The Wizard had learned something of how anime universes functioned. A mirror  
would only reflect light attacks, and even then would distort from the heat  
and shockwave from a really powerful laser. In an anime universe, however,  
it was sometimes possible to reflect other attacks by such means. So he had  
deployed this little measure when he had felt the enchantments on Haruka  
Ten'ou being broken, knowing that Michiru Kaioh would be the next target. An  
image, then a magical lens to change the energies that should have dispelled  
the transformation into something more in his specialty, then a magical  
mirror to send the energies back to their source.  
  
Though he'd expected to catch Sailor Moon, not two cats and some Sailor Moon  
otaku.  
  
Queen Serenity, unlike her daughter, had a lot more experience with the  
Ginzuishou. The moment the blast started twisting around, she dropped the  
stream and began shielding herself.  
  
Magic met magic, and merged. Queen Serenity fought to impose her will and  
retain her power, knowing this would be an attempt to steal the Ginzuishou.  
The altered blast attempted to convert her into a preset template - based on  
the Wizard's perverted tastes.  
  
The energies fused and enough bleedover energy was transformed into a  
concussive blast to leave a bomb crater where the steps to the shrine had  
stood.  
  
The backlash smashed the mirror, shattered the lens, knocked out two  
mooncats and a Queen, and had enough sympathetic energy to throw the distant  
Wizard into a wall. Said Wizard went into slumberland immediately.  
  
---------  
  
What do you do with a living dinosaur? A Triceratops that wanted to follow  
Usagi Tsukino wherever she went? A herbivore weighing 6 tons, 8 meters long,  
with meter long horns and an intelligence level roughly equivelant to a dumb  
horse?  
  
"Waiii! Giddyap!"  
  
"Step right up, ride the trihorn!" One of the dwarves gestured towards the  
howdah on the back of the large herbivore. "Courtesy of the Hino Shrine!"  
  
"GRONK!" Gronk's entire point of view was, of course, fairly simple. The  
little two-legs washed her down regularly, fed her some tasty greens, and  
were otherwise slightly annoying but tolerable. There was no member of the  
herd here, but then there were also no big predators trying to eat Gronk. In  
the relatively tiny brain of the massive herbivore, this last was deemed  
worth putting up with the odd thing on the back and the occasional rider.  
Actually, various riders weren't *that* atypical. Small insectivores and the  
like would land on the back of members of the herd regularly. These were  
just slightly different ones.  
  
The dwarves weren't *too* unhappy. The Shrine was empty at the moment, but a  
nearby field had proven a good place to set up for this. They'd have  
preferred people pay in gold or silver to "ride the pony" but apparently  
that just wasn't feasible. Still, the Shrine *did* need the money, and this  
had been one of the more feasible concepts.  
  
An explosion caught their attention, and battlesign conversations were  
carried out. How to investigate without panicking anyone or letting those  
newspaper reporters get too close. (At the first flashbulb, it had been  
decided that letting them do *that* near a nondomesticated (even if fairly  
easygoing) multiton animal was not an option.)  
  
One of the dwarves gestured to one of the "fiancees" who had actually  
thought this was all a fine idea.  
  
Nuku Nuku listened briefly, nodded, and then set out. Maybe it was one of  
her old playmates!  
  
------  
  
The SRU Wizard had prepared elaborate spells and powerful ones. He was used  
to turning college students of the male persuasion into brainless female  
prostitutes or strippers or something similar and in such a way that anyone  
nonmagical would remember that the individual had always been like that.  
Records and memories, whether electronic or organic, changed to fit the new  
reality.  
  
If the Wizard had realized exactly *what* he had accomplished, he would have  
been alternately frightened and ecstatic. As it was he was just plain  
unconscious, with blood matting his hair to his scalp, and not available for  
comment.  
  
The changes continued to backtrack and escalate because a pivotal individual  
in the Silver Millenium (Queen Serenity I) had been altered.  
  
He would have been ecstatic to find that even though the idea had only  
occurred to him after seeing what had happened to the two handmaidens, his  
latest trap had worked as well as it had. Terrified - because the template  
he'd tried to force on the rescuers had been altered by the magical forces  
and determination of the Queen. The two mixing and mingling into something  
else that neither the Queen nor the Wizard would have tried for, but which  
would have made internal sense to either as a compromise.  
  
And as it was a potentially dangerous compromise, the Wizard would have been  
frightened but would have done his level best to gain control of this remade  
Queen.  
  
So, really, it was just as well that the Wizard was comatose.  
  
------  
  
Outside a simulation, in a room that combined aspects of a garden and a  
computer center, a shy but cute and cuddly kitten was quite upset.  
  
"He's MY Grey-chan! I grew up with him, he was always there for me, I was  
always there for him! Since we were children, we were together until Gendo!"  
  
Celeste was unconcerned. "That was a temporary timeline, one that was  
unstable from its formation and eventually collapsed in on itself. Neither  
his nor your memories of that time are real now."  
  
Amieow's fur bristled. This failed to intimidate anyone. Especially as her  
disembodied spirit had been put into the form of a little blue kitten for  
convenience sake. "Then what about my first timeline? I grew up with Grey  
there too, though he was Minako's pet cat 'Orion' most of the time."  
  
"Another temporary line, and that one has *also* merged retroactively with  
another timeline." Celeste raised an eyebrow at the little kitten. "Any  
other objections?"  
  
"Well, since that is the timeline where Ami would return," asked Serafita as  
he tried to play peacemaker, "if she fails here, that is. What happens to  
her there?"  
  
"She *has* failed here, the only reason she isn't there is because her  
friends are still active." Celeste brought up a display with a gesture over  
a sensor plate. "Typical Sailor Moon - Silver Millenium timeline as far as  
Sailor Mercury is concerned. Ami Mizuno becomes Sailor Mercury, eventually  
giving up on all of her childhood dreams to become one of Crystal Tokyo's  
guardian soldiers."  
  
The kitten was shocked. "What?! I don't become a doctor? What about all that  
studying? What about a boyfriend?"  
  
"Studying didn't matter, there were no lives outside your duties as a  
Senshi. As for romance: brief flings but nothing lasting. The closest you  
came was your relationship with Sailor Jupiter and that was initiated by a  
need to bear a single child to be your heir."  
  
Amieow was stunned. "But I have less in common with Makoto then I do with  
Grey!"  
  
"You have *some* qualities in common with Makoto," hedged Serafita.  
  
The kitten snarled. "Marriage may be about sharing, but sharing the same  
gender as my spouse is not one of the things I look for."  
  
"You'll get used to it," advised Celeste.  
  
"I don't *want* to get used to it!"  
  
"You'll forget all about Grey," tried Celeste.  
  
"Don't want to! Don't want to!"  
  
"You're acting like a child!"  
  
"You're acting like you think you're a goddess or something!"  
  
Celeste blinked. "But I *am* a goddess."  
  
"You know what I mean!"  
  
"Does anyone? Know what you mean, I mean."  
  
Serafita watched the argument developing, made a Wisdom Check, and quietly  
sat on the sidelines with a large panda sign reading [I am *not* getting  
involved.]  
  
--------  
  
Nuku Nuku had been puzzled by finding these three people, but had known from  
comments made over the past few days that if you found injured and  
unconscious people lying around - you took them inside and put them on a  
futon.  
  
So she did exactly that, with typical Nuku Nuku enthusiasm.  
  
During that time, Artemis went from "Lightly Stunned" to "Heavily  
Unconscious" but Nuku Nuku learned that you can't carry three people through  
a door at the same time.  
  
"Mam'selle Natsume? What eez going on?" Michiru looked over the three  
patients with some concern. "I heard ze commotion, but was een ze toilette.  
Are these friends of vous?"  
  
Nuku Nuku blinked a couple of times as she deciphered Michiru's thick  
accent. "Don't know. The one with silver hair looks kinda familiar."  
  
Michiru nodded thoughtfully. "Now that vous mention it. Oui. Something  
familiar about mam'selle. She look a bit like Usagi, non?"  
  
"Kinda..." Nuku Nuku allowed.  
  
Michiru nodded. "Well, Mam'selle, if you want to return to zee park, Michiru  
can keep zee eye on zese patients." She suspected that as she was still able  
to draw mana as if she were Sailor Neptune, she could do something if these  
turned out to be enemies. Perhaps not a "Deep Submerge" but she wasn't  
helpless.  
  
Besides, she was concerned about that big lizard trying to go off and find  
Usagi again. Ah, what a mess that beast could make!  
  
---------  
  
The word circulated. Grey had gone out with Ami. Ami had sworn off men. Grey  
had gone out with Rei. Rei had dropped him and Makoto had likewise crossed  
her name off the dating schedule.  
  
Umino posted a list:  
fiancees:  
Ami Mizuno---------quit (sworn off men)  
Makoto Kino--------quit (pining after Mizuno?)  
Morrigan Aenslad---quit/moved away  
Eudial Katsuragi---moved away  
Maya Tono----------quit  
Rei Hino-----------quit (swearing off men?)  
Ayane Fuma---------quit  
  
Which meant that guys were warning Grey not to come anywhere *near* their  
girlfriends. Grey was getting quite a reputation among the students, and by  
inference, all Americans.  
  
Which meant that he still had three older girls pursuing him (the school  
nurse Setsuna, some woman named Serenity, and Miss Honey) one young girl who  
used to be older (Misato Katsuragi, homeroom teacher), one younger girl  
(Hotaru Tomoe), and a few girls just slightly older (Kasumi, Minako, Nuku  
Nuku, Phobos, Sakura, Deimos) and some guy(?) named Haruka.  
  
"Haruka's a crossdresser not a guy," pointed out Naru to Umino when she saw  
the list. "They're lax about that sort of thing over at some schools."  
  
"From what I hear," Umino said, tapping a name with a pen, "Aino-san is  
being transferred to a school far away, and I'll have to cross her name off  
too. Miss Misato and the three older girls are also unlikely. Nuku... she  
missed school today, didn't she?"  
  
It was a little unkind, but Naru couldn't help but make the observation.  
"It's not like she's all there even when she's at her desk."  
  
Umino blinked, not having noticed this. Like most of the male population of  
the junior high. Bouncy, perky, and cute had been distracting enough that  
he'd missed noticing what her grades were like.  
  
Naru Osaka looked over the list that Umino had compiled. "What kind of names  
are 'Fear' and 'Terror' for girls?"  
  
--------  
  
Minako twitched as the rumor reached her, then more so when it was  
confirmed. She suppressed the desire to switch to werecheetah form and chew  
on her tail.  
  
Her mother had begun the paperwork as well as throwing a curve ball that  
*nobody* had expected. Minako would be packed off to a reform school where  
there were no boys, no fun, no videogames, no TV! No kidding.  
  
Minako whimpered at the thought of being trapped in a strict school. No  
phone, no lights, no motorcar. Not a single luxury. Just Minako, in  
desperate misery.  
  
She would be pulled from her friends, from her duties as a Senshi, and  
forced to live in a...  
  
"sort of an Iraqi convent. Actually it looks pretty nice," said her mother  
as she held up a brochure. "It used to be a prison at one point. Now it's a  
'School For Wayward Girls' where girls are schooled in proper behavior.  
Look, they've got a school uniform."  
  
Minako looked at the indicated picture. Shapeless, covered everything except  
the eyes. Another whimper tried to escape.  
  
Minako's mother smiled at her daughter. "Trust me. Mother knows best.  
They'll be able to get rid of all these distractions and I'm sure your  
grades will improve."  
  
Minako looked at the brochure, written in Arabic she was guessing, and  
*knew* without a moment's doubt that if she went *there* - she'd either go  
insane or... She wasn't sure what the "or" was as her mind was refusing to  
process that possibility.  
  
She was Minako Aino, Sailor V, now Sailor Cheetah. There was one thing that  
was completely obvious to the frequently costumed crimefighter.  
  
ANY path that didn't have her enrolled in that school was certainly worth  
consideration.  
  
------  
  
Grey felt an odd chill but put it off to having undergone so much blood loss  
lately. Instead he tried to focus on the discussion in front of him.  
  
He had trouble with Japanese on several fronts, especially when he was  
hurting a lot, tired, or both as he was now. The language seemed to talk  
around the subject and be used to *imply* a lot. There were regional  
accents and there was what Grey had dubbed "cutespeak" after encountering  
it. Ami had done it, so had every other girl he had known since coming here.  
  
"Cutespeak" seemed to be a sublanguage, spoken in a softer/higher voice, and  
had an odd cadence and odd words that he couldn't decipher within it. It was  
mainly spoken to non-teacher authority figures that the girl in question  
didn't know. What did it mean? He didn't know.  
  
Heck, he was still trying to work out why a can of Coke cost $2.20 or so.  
  
His attention had mainly been grabbed by what had sounded like his name.  
  
A group of young girls in those "seifuku" uniform, speaking quickly and in  
full "cutespeak" mode - but he didn't see any signs of looming authority  
figures.  
  
The seifuku or "sailor uniforms" had been another surprise on coming here.  
Boy uniforms were typically cut like military dress uniforms and apparently  
didn't change much from one school to the other with a few exceptions.  
Strict, dark, dull. The girl uniforms looked surprisingly like something out  
of the Silver Millenium, many were designed around a motif that looked  
similar to the Senshi-candidate clothing (or, as Artemis had once described,  
the Sailor Hopefuls) back when Serenity was going with the candidate idea  
instead of hereditary positions. They were often colorful, generally worked  
quite well with the vast majority of the girls wearing them as far as making  
them look fairly cute (as opposed to the guys' uniforms - which mainly  
seemed to make the wearer uncomfortable) though the frequently baggy socks  
seemed out of place. Guys typically couldn't wait to get home and change  
*out* of the uniform, whereas girls could and often did wear the uniform  
most of the day.  
  
Contrasted to America, where there were *no* uniforms and even attempts to  
prohibit students from wearing "gang clothes" or obscene t-shirts was often  
a matter of lawsuits and public recriminations, this was quite a change.  
  
"...shardo greylle-san..." had been enough to get his attention and cause  
him to stop on his walk back to the Hino Shrine. When that odd use of his  
name had been accompanied by a giggle fit, it caused a typical reaction:  
curiosity. Were they making fun of him? In America, he would expect this to  
be the case. In his admittedly biased opinion, based on an inadequate  
sampling, and just dealing with the peer group he was familiar with: his  
name + girls + laughing = insults if not a dirty trick about to played upon  
him. In Japan, who could tell?  
  
"...buri-buri..."  
  
Another one of those odd phrases he'd never been able to find in his  
translation dictionaries. Girls seemed to use these odd word-word  
combinations more than guys. Yet another thing that made no sense to him.  
And what was with "boku" vs "atashi"? Just when he thought he'd figured out  
the rule was that only guys used "boku", someone like Usagi would use "boku"  
to denote herself.  
  
At least with Umino, Naru, and most of the Senshi, when they spoke Japanese  
they would speak slower and pronounce each word seperately when he was  
around so that he had at least a vague chance of making out most of what  
they were saying.  
  
Grey tried to watch without being *too* obvious. They had little squares?  
One held up three fingers, another nodded and handed over three...  
  
photographs?  
  
of HIM?!  
  
coming out of the shower in the men's locker room?!!  
  
and getting one photo back...  
  
of Takeshi "Tubby" Yamaguchi? The acne-afflicted sumo team wannabe?!  
  
Grey shuddered again. Bad enough to have nude pictures of yourself being  
traded. But to have pictures traded off at a discount for someone who was  
grossly overweight and didn't bathe regularly?  
  
Then the girl who'd gotten the pictures threw them away and was obviously  
demanding the picture of Yamaguchi-san back.  
  
Grey turned and walked off, and tried not to whimper at this further beating  
of his self esteem.  
  
---------  
  
"Is he gone?"  
  
Ayako smirked. "Yeah. Boy looks like he's about to cry."  
  
"Serves him right, stringing women along like that," Michiko said.  
  
"So you really want this picture of Yamaguchi-san? You can't see anything  
with his gut hanging down like that."  
  
"Why would I want a picture of *that* lardball? I... HEY!" Michiko started  
looking around. "Where'd those pictures of the gaijin go?"  
  
--------  
  
"Tsk. Wrong shutter speed. Poor focus. Underexposed. Tsk Tsk. Definitely not  
even worthy of the photography club standards." Setsuna sighed deeply and  
put the photographs away.  
  
"Ahem."  
  
Setsuna shrugged and handed one of the photos to Mineko.  
  
The furry warrior of love and justice sometimes known as Minako put the  
photo away for later study. "I ought to go back there and let those girls  
know what Sailor Cheetah thinks of tricks like that."  
  
"You shouldn't get involved," said Setsuna quietly. "Besides, we need to  
talk."  
  
"You're going to let them get away with that?!" Mineko snarled, literally.  
  
"No. If you hadn't noticed, Cutey Honey just morphed into their gym coach  
and is about to make that little clique run four laps around the school with  
some signs proclaiming them as members of the Junior Pornography Club."  
Setsuna continued to walk away.  
  
Mineko was sufficiently startled that she shifted back to Minako. "Oh...  
Well, what about poor Grey-san? Someone should comfort him!"  
  
Setsuna raised an eyebrow and smiled, though she didn't let Minako see that.  
"Good idea. But *we* need to have this chat. Now."  
  
-------  
  
As Grey wandered off in severe angst, and Setsuna practically dragged Minako  
off to have a little chat, and Cutey Honey (disguised as a gym coach) was  
having a group of girls run around the school while wearing signs, other  
things *were* going on.  
  
Sakura, for example, had decided that her skills still needed to be kept up.  
She knew the basics of wardmaking and the like, but was mainly a  
practitioner of the Arts Of The Sword. Her *social* skills weren't great,  
but she figured a sparring partner would help her keep her edge while she  
worked at trying to fit in. So, she was trying to find someone who was  
sufficiently good at fighting that they could regularly challenge each  
other. Unfortunately, Honey (whom she'd seen with a sword before) was *not*  
at the Hino shrine.  
  
The two kunoichi *were* at the Hino shrine, currently having a mild  
discussion about who was the idiot and why Ayane had dissolved her  
engagement to Grey. Ayane called Kasumi something unpleasant in German.  
Kasumi called Ayane a baka. Ayane called Kasumi a sentimental fool who  
wouldn't know what to do with a boyfriend if she got one. Kasumi called  
Ayane a homicidal maniac who couldn't have a tender moment if she tried.  
From there it went to ninja-bombs, throwing stars, and attempts to do  
serious bodily harm to the other. For the two, this actually was a fairly  
mild discussion.  
  
Michiru watched the battle taking place, and was considering what she could  
do to stop it. Her patients needed quiet, after all. Still, she was  
reluctant to use her special attack as it would likely have side effects she  
didn't want.  
  
Sakura noticed all the explosions and sharp objects being thrown, and threw  
herself into this mess as it would be good training.  
  
Michiru looked at her three patients, back at the running battle, and  
continued to debate using her special magical attack.  
  
----------  
  
Minako looked nervously around as Setsuna watched her. The former "Sailor  
V-Chan" was very self conscious at the moment.  
  
*shift* *fuzz*  
  
So self-conscious that she had just become Sailor Cheetah (or at least  
Mineko Aino) during her fidgeting.  
  
Setsuna sipped a cup of Darjeeling to hide a smirk. Yes, things were looking  
up. Particularly if that rumor she'd heard was true. "So, how are you going  
to keep from transforming in the convent, MiNEko?"  
  
The werecheetah blinked a couple of times, then held her hand up to check  
for fur. Upon seeing it, her expression went to crestfallen.  
  
Setsuna couldn't let it go. "You know, in Iraq, you could face one of two  
problems with these accidental changes. One, they'll try to exorcise you in  
a painful manner. Two, you end up in someone's harem as an exotic pet."  
  
Mineko's ears drooped even further. "I could go to Usagi or Serenity. They  
could remove this..."  
  
"Yes, they could," agreed Setsuna. "Usagi *might* be able to do it. Queen  
Serenity certainly could do so, and restore you to being Sailor Venus. In  
fact, I'd expect her to think of it before much longer and use the full  
power of *her* Ginzuishou to 'restore to default' all of her Knights and  
Senshi. At least the ones who don't run or have the means and will to block  
it."  
  
The thoughtful expression crossing Mineko's face was odd, when one  
considered the light blonde fur and dark "tear tracks" of the cheetah.  
"Well, 'when in Osaka, wear a pointy hat.'"  
  
The Ifurita version of Setsuna winced at the misquote, and was privately  
glad that this wasn't considered an attack. There were some techniques she  
had no desire to acquire. "Yes, but what of... your love life?"  
  
Mineko went back to crestfallen then brightened. "What if the Queen removed  
Danburite's curse using the Ginzuishou?!"  
  
"She might be able to do that," conceded Setsuna. "However, you must  
remember that Serenity has her *own* agenda and removing a curse that causes  
you to focus on your duties as a Senshi is not a curse by *her* standard. If  
you'll recall, she banned her Consort from the Royal Court because she felt  
that her feelings for that Consort could interfere with her duties to her  
kingdom."  
  
The werecheetah winced at that and began tracing out a pattern on the table  
with a fingernail. Back to nervous and thoughtful.  
  
"At the very least, she won't want to draw too much power at once, and will  
try to keep from depleting the Crystal's reserves." Setsuna looked at it  
logically, based on what she remembered of Serenity. "If you approach her  
right, and renew your oaths, she'll restore you as Sailor Venus. That's  
actually a *minor* thing. Removing the werecheetah transformation is a  
little more difficult but if you're actually willing it could be done  
without any major problems. A dying curse can be trickier and Serenity will  
want to wait until she's certain that no major problems will occur that  
could threaten her plans."  
  
"She can still do it?" Mineko tried to shift back but apparently had  
exhausted the number of transformations she could do per day.  
  
"Yes. She'll want to wait until *after* Crystal Tokyo has been established  
and the Freeze has occurred, and you'll have to give up your engagement to  
Basa... Grey-san. It might take a thousand years but she *would* eventually  
break that curse for you."  
  
Mineko's eyes went wide and her tail stuck straight out. "A thousand  
years?!"  
  
"You'd be the normal human equivelant of 27 or 28 by then," reminded  
Setsuna. "One of the advantages of Sailor Venus over Sailor Cheetah is a  
lifespan measured in centuries. A thousand years for Sailor Venus is equal  
to five for Sailor Cheetah. That brings its own problems though. Even if you  
find love as a member of the Senshi, your duties will always be first, and  
you may only have one child - a daughter who will eventually inherit the  
role of Sailor Venus from you. Sailor Cheetah, though, may suffer no such  
restrictions." There it was, she'd laid the cards out on the table. She  
could see the thoughts turning over in the girl's head. Minako could choose  
a shorter life and love, and in time perhaps her children would become  
Senshi, or she could once again become Sailor Venus and remain the lonely  
Sailor of Love.  
  
Would she choose the nearly eternal youth of a Senshi, watching her few  
non-Senshi friends growing old and dying in what seemed like a day's  
passing? Those who were of the Senshi rarely made friends or had  
relationships beyond the Royal Court itself. Partly this was because of the  
omnipresent duty to their Queen. Partly this was due to the hurt on  
constantly getting to know people, and then their inevitable death, and  
their children's deaths, and so on. One could go on a quest or mission for  
the Queen, return, and find that your friend's great grandchild were dust in  
their grave. Minako would likely have a number of trysts with young and cute  
guys, only to watch them grow old after a few carefree summers, and then  
constantly try not to get emotionally attached to any of them.  
  
Would she choose her current opportunity for love? She could get together  
with Basalt, remain a werecheetah, and live a normal human lifespan. She  
could have love. If Basalt were chosen by Minako, and it was explained  
*what* she had given up, most likely he would choose her as well. In time,  
Setsuna could see the two falling in love and having a mostly happy  
relationship. Of course, her friends and the other Senshi would remain  
eternal. Cheetahs had their litters (was that kits or pups?) and Minako  
would prove likely to be a clumsy but enthusiastic mother. Setsuna didn't  
require futuresight to see a large family eventually. One, of course, would  
find herself becoming the next Sailor Venus - fate worked that way. Besides,  
she'd been contacted by her younger self and gotten glimpses into the three  
futures of Minako Aino resulting from her choice here today.  
  
Going off to the school her mother had chosen was not a likely choice.  
  
"Mina-chan," Setsuna said gently, deliberately choosing Minako's real name.  
"It is not fair, it is not good, but you must choose. Soon. If you do not,  
the choice will be made for you. If not by your mother, the Queen will make  
the choice. If neither of them, then someone else. It is simply the way  
things work. I may no longer be the Senshi of Time, but I am still sensitive  
to it. Time is running out and events will come to the crisis point soon.  
Are you ready to make a decision?"  
  
Minako nodded, suprising herself as tears were running down her muzzle.  
"Yes. I suppose I must. I choose..."  
  
--------  
  
Grey, being a 15 year old boy who had known nothing but rejection back in  
America, did *not* have Ranma-levels of self-confidence. Basalt was a little  
better (having decades of success in things not related to how things went  
in his love life) but it was mainly Grey at present.  
  
"Shard-san?"  
  
So several successes in combat (he *had* managed some rescues recently) and  
the overwhelming rejection from Ami had given him some serious thinking to  
do.  
  
"Shard-san?"  
  
What *was* his place in life? What purpose was there to his existence? Was  
he Basalt or Grey? Was he just a minor supporting character in Queen  
Serenity's story?  
  
"Grey-san?"  
  
HAD he been such an unsatisfactory boyfriend that he had driven several  
girls to swear off boys for life? That HURT.  
  
"Grey-san, that's a..."  
  
Sometimes he felt as if he had no control over his life and less value than  
most of his peers back in the States. THEY all had relationships. THEY all  
managed to get decent grades without a psychic cheat. THEY all had better  
health. Not one of them had ever had to deal with perverted wizards or  
cyborgs or  
  
"Grey-san! Watch out!"  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAA!" *SPLASH!*  
  
...falling down a manhole that someone had removed the cover from.  
  
Nuku Nuku blinked a couple of times at the sight.  
  
---------  
  
Sakura Shinguchi was a samurai, but hardly qualified as stoic.  
  
Oh, she obeyed the tenets of bushido well enough. For the most part, at  
least.  
  
After several days of putting up with all the fuss and bother of a big city,  
the curious weirdness of typical city dwellers, and the problems of all the  
flash and glitter that she was not used to. (Not to mention feeling pretty  
useless in the recent set of adventures - the only thing she'd killed had  
been that "big bad wolf" though those three pigs had come close to getting  
the business end of her sword as well on more than one occasion. And  
frankly, she thought the wolf had been badly overrated. Garden variety  
werewolf, and not a particularly clever one.)  
  
Plus, as courageous as she was on the field of battle, having a gaijin  
fiance had made her feel a bit anxious. (Not afraid. No, definitely not.  
She'd rather battle her way through an army of hungry kuei before she'd  
admit to anything approaching THAT word. She'd rather have open heart  
surgery performed on her without the benefit of anesthetic. She wasn't  
afraid of anything! Much less some guy she could defeat with both of her  
legs imbedded in concrete and one hand tied behind her back.)  
  
So, a fight was welcome. No, more than that. It was NEEDED.  
  
Which partly explained her grin as she moved her bokken (it wasn't her  
demonslayer sword, these weren't worthy targets) quickly to block a number  
of needles thrown by the albino. Or the RELIEF she felt as she leapt over  
the explosion of an eggshell grenade. (Though the pink smoke was a bit  
distressing.)  
  
Though after a few moments she felt the tingle as her body changed. It was  
just a pair of cat ears and a tail that were visible, but she *felt* her  
speed and flexibility increase. Leaping up high enough to clear the peak of  
the temple roof, then do a handspring from one of the tori to avoid a mass  
of shuriken. It was invigorating.  
  
Another handspring, this time using the white-haired girl's head, got their  
attention. The redhead started laughing, and the albino got heavily ticked.  
Landing on the ground, Sakura kicked a stone which struck Kasumi in the face  
and stopped the laughter. Perfect. Now they'd start taking her seriously.  
  
She leapt again, dodging some sort of ninja-bomb thrown by the albino. Uh  
oh. "Maid-san, move! That's a..." *BUKAN!* "...bomb."  
  
Well, at least that maid girl (Kaio-san?) wasn't hurt. Though what she was  
doing brandishing that feather duster was another question.  
  
"Neptune Power. Maid Up!"  
  
What the heck?!  
  
--------  
  
Naru Osaka looked at her boyfriend and gave silent thanks to the gaijin.  
Despite the disruption of lives, or perhaps because the routine *had* been  
disrupted, Umino had gotten closer to her. Particularly after that last  
conversation, Naru felt that she understood Umino's position a bit better.  
  
"So he just fell in?" Umino asked the girl.  
  
"Nuku Nuku not understand this at all."  
  
Naru politely refrained from saying that she thought this the usual state of  
affairs for Nuku and nearly anything. Not that she was jealous about Umino  
spending time with the buxom young lady. Not at all. She put her arm around  
his just because it seemed a proper time to do so.  
  
Nuku shoved in on the boy's belly, trying to pump the water out. He groaned  
again.  
  
"I don't think he actually swallowed any water, Nuku-san," pointed out  
Umino. Actually, he thought that Shard-san had just looked kind of stunned  
until the pink-haired girl had tried to administer first aid.  
  
"So what is a fiancee supposed to do in this sort of thing?" Nuku wasn't  
sure about any of this. Throwing him up and out of the manhole had seemed  
appropriate. She'd bandaged up his wounds. Sort of. She'd managed to get  
some rubbing alcohol from a drugstore and clean out the wounds. For some  
reason Shard-san had woken up yelping, and in the process of holding him  
down she'd somehow knocked him out again.  
  
Naru considered the girl briefly, then the comatose patient. Would he  
survive if Nuku continued to try and nurse him back to health? Shard-san had  
enough problems as it was, wouldn't it be better if Nuku Nuku had a clue as  
to what she was doing? "Atsuko-san, I think we need to talk."  
  
---------  
  
Setsuna had watched as the battle was waged within the heart of Minako Aino.  
  
Would she embrace the path of Mineko and maintain cordial relations with her  
father, keeping her friends for a normal human span of years before passing  
on? Incidentally leaving behind a big family. Setsuna had momentarily  
contacted her younger self at the Time Gate, and THAT Setsuna had reported  
back that if Minako became Mineko and therefore Sailor Cheetah, she had six  
kids in her future: the first pair of twins being born a mere year and a  
half from now.  
  
Would she choose to stay by her friends' side? Renew her oaths of fealty and  
return to being Sailor Venus, and thereby abandoning her claim to the Knight  
Of Duty should *he* reclaim his post likewise. Even if Basalt did not, once  
Minako chose Sailor Venus she would have chosen to disobey both parents and  
to put any chance of love off for a thousand years. Still, if she *did*  
choose it, she would have a familiar role and the support of her friends.  
  
Unlikely as it seemed, there was even a chance she'd bow to her mother's  
ideas and go off to the convent/reform school. It meant keeping a  
relationship with her mother, balanced against the very real problems she'd  
face there and seperation from her friends and familiar environs.  
  
Setsuna could see the decision making process come to an end. Mineko's wide  
blue eyes went slowly from darting about to focussed, her jaw set and she  
stopped chewing her lip. As she *was* still currently in her werecheetah  
form, her tail stopped nervously flicking around and her ears perked forward  
as well.  
  
Mineko nodded. "I've decided."  
  
"Yes?" Setsuna asked, anxious to hear this. No matter which road the perky  
young girl chose, it wouldn't quite be over. Mineko would still have win  
Basalt's trust or at least affections. Sailor Venus would have to apologize  
to the Queen and convince her of her sincerity. Minako would have the worst  
of the lot, at least three years of harsh schooling.  
  
"I'll have the tuna melt!"  
  
Setsuna Meiou fell off her chair.  
  
---------  
  
Serenity groaned slightly as she sat up. Something had happened but what?  
  
"Oh this is *just* great," came a very sarcastic voice.  
  
"Oh, shut up, Artemis. It could be worse," responded another voice.  
  
"I'm a *girl*, exactly how much worse can it get?"  
  
Serenity focussed on the two speakers.  
  
"You still remember who you were, and you're not helpless," responded a  
young girl of about 16, coal black hair falling like a cape around her.  
"Actually, you're kind of cute like that."  
  
The white haired girl *glared* at her darkhaired twin. "THAT is not  
comforting."  
  
"Luna, Artemis," Serenity said as she gathered herself. "What is going on?"  
  
"Other than we look like something from a hentai 'Arabian Nights' dojinshi?  
Other than *I'm a girl*?!" Artemis usually would never speak this way to the  
Queen. He wasn't quite himself at the moment. Herself at the moment.  
Whatever.  
  
Serenity stood and looked over herself. She was as she always remembered  
herself. She was even dressed in her usual outfit, the bikini top with  
matching vest, baggy pantaloons and silken slippers. Her hair was in its  
usual braid, running down her back to end just above her ankles. She still  
wore her bracers, linked by a thin chain to her rings. What exactly was  
different? Artemis and Luna had always been her handmaidens.  
  
Luna blinked and shook her head. So Artemis was a girl. Big deal. He was  
always so melodramatic.  
  
Artemis whimpered as she got her first good look at herself. "And *what* is  
with these clothes?!"  
  
"What's wrong with these clothes?" Serenity double checked. Normal work  
clothes.  
  
Luna and Artemis spent a moment staring at their Queen.  
  
"Queen Serenity?"  
  
"Yes, Luna?"  
  
Luna looked at the ceiling for a few moments, obviously thinking. "Errr,  
Your Majesty, would you humor me for a moment and tell me what you remember  
of the Silver Millenium?"  
  
Serenity smiled and sat back. "Ah, the Silver Millenium. A wonderful time it  
was, wasn't it, Luna? A time of unfettered magic where I was Queen Of All  
The Djinn."  
  
"Excuse me?" Artemis said as soon as her jaw was working again.  
  
Serenity made a dismissing little gesture in the air. "You are excused,  
Artemis. It *was* a wondrous era, and it is quite forgiven to miss that  
era."  
  
Luna was frowning thoughtfully. "Yes, My Queen, but uhm, how did it end?"  
  
Serenity's expression darkened. "The evil sorceress Beryl, given powers by  
her dark goddess Metal Lia, discovered a way of binding us. She began  
sealing away the djinni - so that her dark troops led by the monster  
Invincible Shadow could destroy the ins with whom we coexisted. Mine own  
daughter, and her beloved ins, died. A last wish, however, would gather us  
together ten times ten thousand years later."  
  
Luna nodded. "Oooo kay. That explains it."  
  
"WHAT?! WHAT explains WHAT?!" Artemis was almost literally beside herself.  
"That's completely wrong!"  
  
Luna delicately reached out with a hand and gently slammed the back of  
Artemis' head into a wall. "Hsst! Pay attention to something besides your  
own problems!"  
  
"I wish I understood," said Artemis, rubbing the back of her head.  
  
Serenity looked thoughtful for a moment then nodded and folded her arms in  
front of her. "Normally, it requires the wish of an ins for a djinni to work  
more than the most basic of magics. A simple healing spell should work to  
clear your memories... My word, I never knew Artemis to run so fast."  
  
--------  
  
Sailor Pluto, a teenage Setsuna Meiou, the current Senshi of Time, sat  
before the Time Gate and reflected on one basic fact. Duty at the Time Gate  
was boring. Dull.  
  
If the older and more experienced Sailor Pluto had been present or even been  
able to become Sailor Pluto, things wouldn't have gotten so out of hand. As  
it was, however, things quickly escalated.  
  
The Wizard's magic altered things so that whatever change he imposed was "as  
things had always been." Alter the male Captain of the High School Football  
Team into a blonde bubble-headed girl, and no records or memories remained  
of the Captain. And most likely the former Captain was now one of the  
cheerleaders. He'd actually done this a few times and found it quite  
amusing, a joke that never quite went out of style.  
  
The Wizard's spell altered Serenity, but instead of overriding her magic, it  
merged with it. Instead of being some scatterbrained harem girl, Serenity  
had fought and the directives had found a Neutral Ground and then rewritten  
her existence into this compromise. And in order to alter it so that  
Serenity had always been of the Djinni, the Kingdom had been altered.  
  
If it hadn't been for the use of the Ginzuishou, this would likely have  
ended with an overdrawn power and only minor changes. As both directives  
utilized the nearly infinite power of the crystal to form the compromise...  
  
The Djinn of Time slowly got to her feet and considered the Gate Of Time.  
Something was different, but what? Adjusting her veil, Pluto decided to sit  
down and contemplate this.  
  
And wonder if she could get her older self to bring by a pizza.  
  
------  
  
Several Senshi in civilian guise felt *something* change but weren't sure  
what.  
  
Usagi brightened as she spotted something. "Look! Look! A new store!"  
  
Mamoru groaned as he saw what *kind* of store. "Uhm. Well. I don't have that  
much money."  
  
"Oooh, cakes and pies, cream horns and delicious teas," said Makoto,  
practically drooling.  
  
"If only Minako were here to see this," Rei remarked. "Or Ami. What the heck  
happened to Ami, anyway?"  
  
"I don't know, she wasn't at school." Usagi spent a moment worrying. "C'mon.  
Cake! Pie! Buy one get one free!"  
  
"Hmmmm. 'Desserts R Us'? Well, let's take a look at it, at least." Makoto  
helped Usagi drag Mamoru into the store. It sounded like just the thing to  
help recover from everything that had been going on of late.  
  
-------  
  
"So *that* is what a fiancee does?" Nuku was astonished, it sounded really  
complicated to go through all that just to make kittens.  
  
"Yes, exactly," said Naru. She was glad to see that Nuku had been paying  
attention.  
  
"I still don't think she's got it," remarked Umino, who hadn't known that  
all of *that* was required of a fiancee.  
  
Nuku looked over the notes she'd taken. Maybe when she got some of this  
down, the actual making of kittens could take place. Why did humans have to  
complicate things?  
  
"By the way," Umino felt compelled to point out, "isn't that Shard-san  
sneaking away at a high rate of speed?"  
  
Nuku was relieved. She knew *this* game at least. The chase was on!  
  
-------  
  
Sakura was running. So were Kasumi and Ayane. So was Michiru. And in heels  
like those, that was quite an accomplishment.  
  
*SHOOOM!*  
  
Sakura rounded a corner inches ahead of another "Magical Maid Mindwash"  
attack. Kasumi and Ayane were already wearing the fishnet stockings and  
frilly aprons and were obviously none too pleased with the cumulative  
effects of Michiru's attacks.  
  
There ahead of her was Shard-san. Also running for some odd reason.  
  
What was odd was that Nuku Nuku, whom Sakura knew from seeing her "morning  
jog" was *much* faster than Shard-san, was pursuing, carrying what seemed to  
be a large supply of surgical gauze, tape, manacles, and chains. She hadn't  
known that Nuku-san was into that sort of thing.  
  
Sakura felt the slight pressure wave preceding another attack and spun to  
the side. The blast hit a small office building, and screams resulted from  
within. Not good. How many of those blasts did Michiru have anyway? Didn't  
she have to reload or something?  
  
-------  
  
Kasumi gasped. She wasn't used to running in high heels but she really  
didn't want to get hit with a *second* blast. The first one had changed her  
ninja battle costume into something out of Frederick's Of Roppongi. A second  
exposure? Heck no! Finally Kasumi decided to leap into the air, kick the  
ridiculous shoes off, grab them in her hands, and run in her stockings.  
  
Ayane had done a high kick, missed (she blamed the ridiculously short skirt,  
ridiculously high heels and ridiculously tight stockings), but the kid had  
gone down with a nosebleed anyway. So Ayane had commandeered the skateboard  
as it was a lot easier than running in these heels. Though if she could get  
closer to Kasumi, she'd trip the other ninja and observe what happened when  
you got hit with more than one blast.  
  
Michiru gasped, that was her last full strength blast. She'd have to catch  
that pesky girl. And then finish their conversion.  
  
Serenity flew along, pursuing a white haired girl in similar clothing to  
herself.  
  
Luna pursued Serenity, mainly to make sure the Queen didn't do something  
more embarassing than wearing the little outfit.  
  
Artemis didn't like being a girl in the first place. What was worse for the  
formerly male mooncat was that he felt his own memories altering. Alongside  
images of the Silver Millenium Moon Kingdom were images of the Djinn  
Kingdom. He didn't like the idea of being a handmaiden, even a magical one,  
and felt this would seriously alter his relationship with Luna.  
  
A crowd of girls in maid outfits poured out of a small office building, saw  
the parade, and promptly began giving chase. Someone at the very least  
needed to explain this!  
  
--------  
  
Mineko happily finished her tuna melt.  
  
"*Now* do you have a decision?" asked Setsuna.  
  
"Hmmmm?" Mineko asked in return, wondering what decision Setsuna was talking  
about.  
  
"Bas... Grey-san?" Setsuna asked, a little exasperated. At this point she  
was seriously thinking of checking into Sakura's background some more.  
  
Licking her lips briefly, and wondering *why* tuna tasted *so* darn good  
when she was in her cursed form, Mineko Aino remembered her previous  
conversation. "oh yeah."  
  
Screams and the sound of shattering glass interrupted Setsuna pounding her  
head against the table.  
  
Mineko was out the door in a flash, sniffing the air, then racing along to  
where the screams had seemed to originate from.  
  
Setsuna followed, a bit slower though her flight speed wasn't really that  
slow except in comparison to something like a werecheetah.  
  
There was a large crowd, including what looked like a heavily bandaged Grey,  
and standing nearby were a group of three sailorsuited parodies of the  
Senshi and another woman who had a mask...  
  
"Sailor Aluminum Siren," introduced the girl with the long hair.  
  
"Sailor Aluminium Siding?" Nuku frowned. That sounded really silly.  
  
"That's SIREN! Aluminum SiREN," yelled back the Sailor, wondering if one of  
these were the reason they were three Animates short of a full team.  
  
"Aluminum Siding," Nuku repeated, still not getting it.  
  
"SIREN! I said SI-REN!" The villain frowned. "Oh blazes. I'll let you play  
with the Phages."  
  
"I thought those were Farces?" Nuku wasn't sure about this at all.  
  
"Phages!" "Farces!"  
  
"Siren!" "Siding!"  
  
"Let's call the whole thing off," sang Setsuna, drawing curious looks from  
everyone. "Never mind."  
  
"Sailor Guts!" "Sailor Pretty!" "Sailor Shibari!"  
  
"Eeeew," went the crowd as the three Phages (Farces) stepped forward. As was  
understandable. Sailor Guts was a muscular guy in a sailor suit. Sailor  
Pretty wasn't very pretty at all, in fact she was rather disgustingly overly  
cutesy. Sailor Shibari was wearing a harness of ropes and had a rope in her  
hands.  
  
"Megawatt... laser." Smirking, Setsuna leveled her staff and fired off a  
quick burst that flattened Sailor Guts and left him looking a little crispy.  
  
Not wanting to be outdone, Sailor Cheetah (looking a little tousled from  
having performed a change of clothes at high speed) dodged a spiked  
microphone slung by Sailor Pretty. "Cheetah - One thousand punches!"  
  
"Hey, that was only eight hundred punches," protested Sakura. "And thirty of  
those were kicks!"  
  
"I'm still working on it, okay?" Sailor Cheetah grumbled a little at how  
some people overobsessed on the details.  
  
"SHIBARI!" The rope wielder attacked the crowd, managing to tie up Nuku and  
Sailor Aluminum Siren as well.  
  
"Ecchi," indicated Sailor Cheetah, who had dodged.  
  
"-i am really beginning to dislike some aspects of Japanese culture,-" said  
Grey, who had also dodged but unfortunately not done as good a job. "-What's  
shibari, anyway?-"  
  
Not wanting to say that it was rope-bondage, as this wasn't an aspect of  
Japanese culture likely to be attractive to Grey, Setsuna kept silent and  
prepared to dodge again. She didn't particularly want to learn *this* attack  
either.  
  
"This is NOT acceptable!" Sailor Aluminum Siren was not terribly happy about  
being tied up like this. Especially in this kind of pose. Maybe alone with  
Lead Crow...  
  
Nuku wondered exactly how some ropes were able to hold her in place. She  
knew her strength level was sufficient to shred these, but somehow they  
held.  
  
Sakura was a samurai, and knew the basics of the art of hojo jitsu (the  
samurai martial art for tying up one's enemies)(2). Being tied up was a  
temporary problem, as a small knife tucked into a sleeve (for just such an  
emergency) was quickly put to work.  
  
Setsuna aimed carefully, power building around the end of her staff.  
  
Mineko, however, didn't wait. Stepping up to "Sailor Shibari" she unleashed  
what would have been a "Sailor V Kick" if it hadn't been performed at speeds  
you'd normally need a bullet train for. "That. Is. Enough!"  
  
The ropewielding farce slammed through a wall. She was just getting to her  
feet when Sailor Cheetah made her presence known again.  
  
"This is not a good time!" Sailor Cheetah struck the Farce another two  
hundred times, this time confining the target area to the face. "I have to  
make some really hard decisions and YOU aren't helping!" Another four  
hundred punches, this time to the stomach area. Sailor Shibari began to  
crumble. "I am sick and tired of all this!"  
  
As Sailor Shibari crumbled to the ground, reverting to some older woman,  
Sailor Aluminum Siren felt her bindings lose their unbreakable nature. "NOW  
you fools shall fall before..."  
  
"NUKU NUKU PUNCH!" *WHUD!*  
  
Picking herself up, Sailor Aluminum Siren decided to get THAT girl's Star  
Seed immediately. "Your Star Seed is..."  
  
"SHUT UP!" Sailor Cheetah abruptly appeared and began slamming hundreds of  
punches per second into the girl. The girl with long blue hair slid across  
the ground and didn't get up.  
  
"Hmmm," hmmmed Setsuna. She doubted that Sailor Venus could have done that  
any easier.  
  
Mineko panted as she looked down at the monsters of the week. "I just wish I  
knew what to do!"  
  
Serenity had clapped her hands in front of her and summoned the magic. It  
had sounded like a good wish to her, and might benefit her people. Since she  
was a Queen of the Djinni and this was not one of her genie, it was all  
right.  
  
*BLINK!*  
  
Mineko Aino staggered. She KNEW what would happen now. She understood the  
three choices she could make, and how each would end up.  
  
She could go to that school her mother had enrolled her in. Her werecheetah  
transformation would fade. So would she, in a manner of speaking. After  
three years, she would not much resemble the Minako Aino she had been OR the  
Mineko that she currently was.  
  
If she chose to go to Serenity NOW, she would become a genie named Venus.  
Eventually Serenity would be restored to herself, all it would take was a  
properly worded wish, and she could resume her duties as Sailor Venus. Sure  
enough, 1100 years later, the curse would be removed. At that point,  
however, it would essentially be too late. The only peer group she could  
identify with or form any sort of relationship with would be her fellow  
senshi. No cute boyfriend. No boyfriend at all. A brief tryst with Makoto to  
produce the next generation of Sailor Venus, but that was it. No singing  
career. Art and the appreciation of it dying with the Great Freeze.  
Eventually dying in combat against yet another Threat.  
  
If she chose to follow her father's advice, she would die. In roughly  
seventy five years. In the meantime...  
  
Mineko Aino noticed where Grey was still struggling in his ropes, not having  
the strength or flexibility to get out on his own. "How nice, gift wrapped!"  
  
Grey stopped. That had sound ominous.  
  
Mineko reached down, grabbed Grey by a handy rope, tossed him over a  
shoulder, and ran off, giggling furiously.  
  
"HEY!" Grey was entirely uncertain about this latest development.  
  
There was a large scale simultaneous blink as everyone (that was conscious,  
that is) watched the werecheetah heading for the horizon.  
  
"HEY!" That also was in an odd unison.  
  
---------  
  
The sign on the bus read quite simply: "Benny Hill Tokyo Tour". It was  
strange, in some ways his program was considered tame in these parts. Still,  
it would boost ratings in Japan quite a bit if he filmed a few scenes  
locally and put them into his regularly scheduled bits.  
  
"Well, we'll end with the typical chase scene, I think. Though we'll need  
something really unusual to stick out from what we did last season," Benny  
explained.  
  
"Heh," said one of the local talent. An agent of sorts, he specialized in  
finding things for foreign television people. "That's why I've got them.  
Fifteen sumo, twelve armored samurai, and some Yakuza types. They're all  
actually actors. Well, except for the sumo - they're makkuchi or apprentice  
sumo wrestlers on loan from a local sumo-beya."  
  
"They're big," agreed the aging comedian and considering the problems of  
what would happen if something breakable got in the way of *this* crowd  
while running in a chase scene. "Though I really wanted something  
outrageously radically different for this scene."  
  
*ZOOOOM!*  
  
"Are we rolling?"  
  
At the nod, Benny grinned. "After that, err..."  
  
"...catgirl..." supplied the local talent.  
  
"Yes," said Benny. "Oh, and cue the chase music!"  
  
The music began to play.  
  
--------  
  
Mineko slowed down, not only because she was tired and carrying someone, but  
because she couldn't believe what she saw following her:  
  
Setsuna, Serenity, Phobos, Deimos - all flying at high speeds. Despite that  
Phobos & Deimos now looked completely human and the two former crows and the  
Queen were flying without wings and wearing "I Dream Of Jeannie" costumes?  
  
Sakura, Nuku Nuku, Kasumi & Ayane (wearing maid outfits?), Michiru in HER  
French Maid outfit (except that some of the material seemed to be missing),  
and thirty other girls in the same sort of outfits, all a few yards behind  
the fliers.  
  
Behind the fliers came 15 young sumo types, wearing black mawashi sumo  
belts. Alongside *that* heavy division there were a number of armored  
samurai? Behind them were what looked like Yakuza thugs: tattoos, Italian  
sunglasses, and all.  
  
Behind *them* was a bus, playing music from loudspeakers, and apparently  
filming the whole thing.  
  
"You know, Grey-chan, Mineko didn't see *this* coming," said the  
werecheetah.  
  
The music continued to play as Mineko ran. She *did* know, however, where  
she had to go.  
  
A Japanese tour group spotted the procession, and as they felt left out,  
joined in.  
  
--------  
  
"Miyuki!"  
  
"I see them! I don't recall any parade permits being issued today. Let's go  
Natsumi!"  
  
And so two police officers in their mini patrol car also joined the  
procession.  
  
The chase went through a public bath that had been reserved for the use of  
the Martial Arts Cheerleader Competition. The results were predictable. And  
so fourteen cheerleaders gave chase.  
  
-------  
  
Mikado Sanzennin looked up and was instantly smitten. Yes, that girl would  
be perfect to add to his list of conquests!  
  
"Rafael!" The overly cutesy companion of the skater declared, pointing at  
the furry girl in the lead. "It's my little Rafael! Come to little Azusa!"  
  
*THWAM!* *TRAMPLE!* *TRAMPLE!* *WeeeOOO WeeeOOO!* *THUMP!* *SMASH!* *WHAM!*  
*THUD!*  
  
Looking up at the little stars dancing around her head, Azusa immediately  
gave them all French names.  
  
Mikado, on the other hand, was chasing after the policewomen.  
  
Ken Nakajima, the White Hawk of Bokutoh Precinct, saw this and immediately  
began his own pursuit. Of Mikado.  
  
And where was that music coming from?  
  
------  
  
Mineko saw it. Finally. 'Desserts R Us' - now she could let Usagi and the  
others know what she had decided!  
  
And hopefully someone would turn off that music finally.  
  
============  
  
(1) - reference to "Dreaming Moon" by Purrsia Press.  
http://corwin.anifics.com/ranma.html  
  
(2) - yes, this is real. They had a martial art for this too.  
  
===========  
  
omake omake omake omake OMAKE  
  
Display: Chronos' Bet Entry  
SimLine: RN-MK-201310  
  
"...recently they crossed into China," said Soun.  
  
"Wow! China!" Nabiki exclaimed. China was neat!  
  
"What's so great about China?" Akane said with a hmph. The Chinese weren't  
so hot. If they were, they'd be Japanese.  
  
"Is he cute?" Nabiki said with a grin. Cute would earn her overlooking a lot  
of little problems with the situation.  
  
"I don't know about this, father. Aren't we too young?" Kasumi, the ever  
practical one, fretted. Just her luck it would turn out to be some old man.  
  
"What kind of boy *is* this Ranma?" Nabiki and Kasumi chorused while Akane  
played with one of her toys.  
  
"Don't have a clue," laughed Soun. "No idea."  
  
"'No idea'," said Nabiki, disbelievingly.  
  
"I've never met him," admitted Soun.  
  
A few moments later, a panda had brought a young girl in and set her before  
the four Tendos. However, Akane's reaction was a lot more positive.  
  
"Wai wai, panda! Wai wai, a panda! Giddyup, Panda-san!"  
  
Such as straddling the panda's neck with her legs while repeatedly hitting  
the panda with a plastic shovel. Which lasted until the stranger girl got  
tired of all this, went into the kitchen, returned with a kettle of hot  
water and doused the panda.  
  
"Okay, Pop, what the heck were you thinking when you came up with *this*  
plan?" Ranma wanted to know.  
  
Tendo looked at the panda-turned-man. "Uhm, Saotome, can you explain this?"  
  
"What about you Tendo?!" Genma gestured at the three girls.  
  
"After we talked, well," Soun shrugged. "Kimiko and I decided to wait on  
having children. Ranma, these are my three daughters. Kasumi, she's  
fourteen. Nabiki, she's twelve. Akane, she's ten. Pick anyone you like.  
She'll be your new fiancee."  
  
"He's a hottie," proclaimed Kasumi, not really knowing what the term meant.  
  
"He's a girl?" Nabiki reached up and squeezed. Felt like a girl.  
  
"Please don't do that," Ranma groaned. He couldn't believe this. Well at  
least marriageable age in Tokyo was 16. He had at least two years to find a  
way out of this.  
  
"Okay, then *she's* a hottie," declared Kasumi, glomping on and emitting  
serious cuteness rays.  
  
Akane scowled up at Ranma. "You better not try to be my Mommy!"  
  
Ranma scowled as the littlest Tendo started kicking him in the shins. "I'm a  
guy damnit."  
  
One demonstration of Jusenkyo curses later.  
  
"NEAT!" Nabiki said, a glass of hot water and a glass of cold water in each  
hand. "I wonder what would happen if I hit you with both at the same time,  
would you be a boy and a girl?"  
  
"I'm not instant ramen, you know," grumbled Ranma.  
  
Kasumi splashed water around in the bowl as she tried to make tea.  
  
-----click-------  
  
"Ranma, you, you," Ryouga looked at the little girl hiding behind Ranma,  
"you *pedophile!*"  
  
"Hey, it ain't like that! Our fathers came up with this weird idea!" Ranma  
stopped abruptly. "What's a pedophile?"  
  
Nabiki sighed. "Later, Ranma. Fight now, expository dialogue later."  
  
"Oh. Right."  
  
Kasumi stalked forward. "You big meanie!"  
  
"Excuse me?" Ryouga found himself backing up before this girl's wrath.  
  
"Stop picking on my Ranma!" Kasumi stood under five feet. She somehow  
managed to loom over the taller Ryouga.  
  
"Uhm, Kasumi, this is my fight." Ranma gave a helpless look towards Ryouga.  
  
Ryouga misinterpreted that look. "So Ranma, you hide behind helpless little  
girls!"  
  
Akane twitched and stalked forward. "HEY! Who are you calling helpless?!"  
  
"Uhm," Ryouga hedged. "Well, it's nothing personal. I mean you're just a  
little kid..."  
  
Akane twitched some more. "KID?! KID! You're saying I'm some weak little  
girl?!"  
  
Ryouga put his hand down on the ten year old's head as she windmilled her  
arms in an attempt to hit him. "Uhm. Shouldn't you be playing with your  
dollies or something?"  
  
At that moment Akane filed Ryouga under "people whose butt I will kick when  
I get older".  
  
Ranma shrugged. Maybe he could run into Ryouga somewhere away from the kids.  
They tended to steal any scenes they were in.  
  
----click----  
  
Herb groaned. "And I would have gotten away with it, if it weren't for those  
meddling kids."  
  
Akane stuck her tongue out and pulled back one eyelid. "Beeeeee DAH!"  
  
"I don't wanna pose," Ranma said, sulking.  
  
Kasumi reached into her pack. "Would you do it for a Ranma-snack?"  
  
===========  
-----------  
"Those who say violence never solved anything  
have never studied history. Violence continues to  
be used not because it is easy, but because it is  
effective when it has been applied properly."  
-Misato Katsuragi, "A Soldier's Duty"  
  
http://metroanime.home.mindspring.com  
http://www.geocities.com/mamoru_tengoku  
metroanime@mindspring.com  



	24. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 24+omake

A Soldier's Duty, chapter 24  
  
"I do the very best I know how - the very best I can, and I mean to keep  
doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said  
against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten  
angels swearing I was right would make no difference." - Abraham Lincoln  
  
"Power is not revealed by striking hard or often, but by striking  
true." -Honore de Balzac  
  
DISCLAIMER: catgirls by Osamu Tezuka (Battia) as near as i can tell.  
Everyone else has pretty much been covered in previous disclaimers.  
  
*--Asgard--*  
  
Descartes once had stated "Cogito Ergo Sum" or "I think therefore I am" -  
which was actually the end product of philosophizing over whether or not he  
existed. How would he know, and how could he be sure his senses were not  
lying to him? He came to the conclusion that he existed, because something  
was there that was doing all this pondering.  
  
A philosophy teacher in Southern California (of course) in the 1960s  
(naturally) once came upon a similar conundrum and gave it to his class as a  
theory. He stated that the world and everything about it was created in the  
1930s by a cosmic entity named Fred. All evidence of existence BF (Before  
Fred) was manufactured by Fred as a test. The budding philosophy majors  
were to try and disprove it. Unfortunately, he had started the Cult Of Fred,  
a thankfully small group of compulsive neurotics.  
  
In a place known as Asgard, a subdivision of a place known collectively as  
the Heavens, Celeste had done something that touched base with both  
Descartes' work and that anonymity-craving Professor. She had written a  
computer program that developed its own subroutines, that spun its own  
fractal weavings, that eventually produced a simulated timeline. This was  
fine, in fact, this had been the desired outcome.  
  
The timeline had been originally set to follow a distinct script. The  
penitent known as Grey had to go through a number of Labors, each of which  
would teach him something even as he went through it, and would also be  
evaluated for inclusion in a number of different divine departments  
thereafter. This, his Fourth Labor, would see him toning down his  
indecisiveness, making a choice among potential girlfriends, and quite  
possibly ending up in the agency known as Divine  
Intervention/Operations/Security. (DIOS)  
  
His script was to be quite simple: getting him involved in the usual mess in  
a "Sailor Moon" timeline. The "S" period, to be exact, where he would meet a  
number of the young people he'd met in his earlier misadventures, and would  
settle on a girlfriend while assisting the "Sailor Senshi" in surviving  
against and eventually defeating Pharoah 90 and the Witches 5.  
  
This had been derailed first and foremost by a fly in the ointment. A glitch  
in the system. A tribble in the grain storage bay. To be more precise: a  
rogue Spells R Us Wizard who had decided that turning college boys into  
large breasted nymphomaniac girls was only amusing for the first three  
centuries and that he was ready to conquer a world.  
  
Said Wizard had encouraged other meddlers, such as Amaterasu Omikami, to  
push forward their own candidates. This was also quite unacceptable to  
Celeste. She had put quite a bit of work into making the fractal  
self-correcting Virtual World program.  
  
Now, the Wizard had taken that meddling a step further. The past had been  
rewritten, and now the Silver Millenium's Moon Kingdom had been replaced  
with a Djinni Kingdom. Worse, this was inherently unstable as the wrong  
wish could end up further altering the whole scenario.  
  
Celeste reached for a bottle of Excedrin Migraine as she considered exactly  
what she'd have to do to get this whole thing fixed. And quite frankly, a  
Restart was looking more and more attractive.  
  
---Simulation: Japan: Tokyo: Azabu Juuban: 15 minutes ago---  
  
"Cake! Cake!" Usagi was happier than a pig in... well, she was pretty happy.  
  
"I'm losing my appetite," said Rei, eyeing the stack of plates in front of  
Usagi.  
  
The proprieter smirked, seeing his chance. These were slender young Japanese  
girls, surely they couldn't eat *that* much. They'd already eaten quite a  
bit. He'd just pull this little joke, get a few pictures of the girls with  
their faces all smudged up, and then offer them a discount for being good  
sports. "Well, tell you what. If you and your friends can eat everything on  
the table, it's free."  
  
"Free?!" Usagi's eyes shone with tears of joy.  
  
"Free?" Mamoru looked rather hopeful. Sweets weren't his passion, but his  
budget was crying out for relief.  
  
"Free! Yay!" Chibiusa had already forgotten the strange resemblence between  
the "Desserts R Us" manager and that guy she'd met in that simulated  
timeline. As long as there were no blueberries involved.  
  
Makoto stared and glanced back and forth at Usagi and Rei. "Uhmmm. We've got  
a few more friends. Can we call them?"  
  
Hotaru merely stared at the little cake in front of her. She didn't normally  
have much appetite at all, and this food was a bit much for her to take.  
  
"No, but if they show up they're welcome to join you." The owner gave them  
*that* much. Besides, he had some other ideas if these friends turned out to  
be huge sumo fans or something similar. He snapped his fingers.  
  
Aproned girls began pushing carts out, laden with rich desserts.  
Cheesecakes, Boston Creme pies, custards and creme horns, German Chocolate  
cake, French Vanilla logs...  
  
The owner was certain to get some good pictures out of this.  
  
---in the rear---  
  
Terurun was gone. Eudial was gone. Each of the Witches Five had met their  
end. Save one.  
  
Cyprine knew that she *should* get back to her first love, her precious  
Genma-chan, but there was something she had to do first. Get those damn  
Senshi! And if she was right, she could take out the "sailorsuited warriors  
of love & justice" with just a few little compulsion candies taken from the  
Wizard's supply closet.  
  
Then she could do something to foul up the Wizard's plans, and go back to  
spend the rest of her life with her wonderfully obese Gennie-poo.  
  
*----same place, fifteen minutes later----*  
  
Even Usagi was looking a little ill. Especially as she found herself  
reaching for that bourbon cake.  
  
Chibiusa just felt the bloat and whimpered as she felt compelled to reach  
for another slice of cherry cheesecake.  
  
Hotaru had conceded defeat. One cake had been more than enough to fill her.  
She was feeling a bit odd since then anyway, but she was used to more simple  
fare and guessed that this was why.  
  
Mamoru had begged off early on, stating he couldn't handle desserts that  
rich. He'd been quite honest in that regard too. He was looking a little  
alarmed, both at how the girls continued to eat, and at the mess that they  
were making.  
  
Rei had been looking rather upset, but was now forcefeeding herself as if  
she was going to ingest the table at any moment. Most of her face was  
concealed by chocolate frosting at the moment.  
  
Makoto slurped on a creme horn, and wondered why she was still hungry when  
it seemed that she had eaten almost her own bodyweight since sitting down.  
  
The proprieter had gone to have a little lie down. He was obviously not  
feeling well, since girls *that* slender should not have been able to eat  
nearly that much. Now if this had been Tomobiki...  
  
Trays were wheeled in again.  
  
Cyprine smiled from the doorway. She'd leave them after setting that daimon  
into place. This was a good way to do it, if the girls were so plump that  
they couldn't fit into a seifuku then they couldn't do all that "Sailor  
Senshi" stuff.  
  
An alternative (one that she'd thought of while getting disgusted at the  
sight before her) was to see if all of the Senshi couldn't get pregnant. It  
would at least keep them from superheroing for several months. And as any  
parents of newborns could tell you, they'd be getting precious little sleep  
for years after that.  
  
MUCH better, to Cyprine's new worldview, than the old "drain the energy/kill  
them" routine. Besides, she rather liked Genma Saotome's girth, and this  
might give those girls a similar waistline.  
  
**CRASH!**  
  
Sailor Cheetah, wearing her ersatz senshi uniform, ran into the  
establishment while carrying someone. "Higuys!  
IjustwantedtosaythatI'melopingwithmyfiance! Seeyou!"  
  
Usagi, Rei, Makoto, and Chibiusa blinked as Minako ran past them at high  
speed.  
  
"I wish that were subtitled, so I could understand what she had just said,"  
mumbled Usagi as she groaned and felt her stretched tummy.  
  
Rei and Makoto nodded, then groaned themselves as they felt their beltlines  
straining.  
  
**CRASH!**  
  
A human tide appeared, pouring through the doorway and swirling in as they  
sought to catch up with Mineko.  
  
Mineko came running back, not having found an exit.  
  
Not all chaos is confined to Nerima.  
  
---Asgard----  
  
Fingers delicately stroked a keypad. Numbers altered.  
  
Celeste found the change that had been instituted and became thoughtful.  
  
The work of SRU Wizards tended to backtrack itself. Not always, but most of  
the time. Change John Smith into a girl, and the birth records would  
indicate that Joan Smith had been born a perfectly healthy girl.  
  
Spells R Us had been noted as a "neutral" territory prior to this incident.  
On occasion, one of the wizards would be contacted and the Divine Justice  
Department would farm some of their work out. It was known that the  
Infernals would occasionally utilize the company as well. As long as no one  
who was truly Good or truly Evil or Fated was affected, it was entirely a  
mortal affair and any problems would have to be resolved BY mortals.  
  
That policy was being investigated now, though not by Celeste.  
  
Instead, Celeste had found that the altered point had actually been the  
creation of the Silver Crystal. Instead of flowing into a receptacle - the  
gemstone, the power had flowed into another receptacle. Queen Serenity's  
mother Crisium. The woman had not been able to handle the full power, and so  
had split off portions of the power, which could then be refocussed at need.  
  
Instead of superpowered Senshi in their Sailor uniforms, getting their power  
through a Make Up transformation, the resulting kingdom had superpowered  
genie. Who wore exactly the sort of clothing one might expect of  
superpowered genie, the costumes bearing an uncanny resemblence to the sort  
of outfits popularized on "I Dream Of Genie" and old "1001 Nights" films.  
Instead of being *Sailor* Mars, Rei's transformation would be simply to  
Mars.  
  
Celeste considered the alteration as one might consider an interesting bug.  
Taking apart the records of the alteration had revealed that it was a  
compromise, an accident, yet it had a certain elegance of its own. The "ins"  
(mortals) who interacted with the genie, as a genie could not grant another  
genie's wish were the Earth Kingdom prior to the change. So Bennu, Obsidian,  
Basalt, and the others became (essentially) sha'ir. Jedite, Nephlite, and  
the other Generals became sha'ir also, but had come under the influence of  
the evil sorceress Beryl and had bound their charges (the four "Inner"  
Senshi) into items.  
  
The goddess of J-pop removed the barrier to further changes. The principles  
would remain aware, but now she could weave a barrier and reverse the whole  
mess.  
  
Though she would make a backup. This setup had potential.  
  
---back to Juuban----  
  
Nerves were frayed. Tempers were ready to flare. All it needed was a match.  
  
The Proprieter had fainted at the sight of the sumo wrestlers.  
  
Makoto was thinking that the gang was all here. Save one. "Where's Ami?"  
  
"Oooohh, so it's true about you and Mizuno-san?" Ayane leered suggestively  
at Makoto.  
  
"AAAAA! Nonononono! It's not like THAT!" Makoto began freaking again. If  
this rumor continued then she'd NEVER get a boyfriend.  
  
"I don't even want to hear what it's like," said Usagi, hearing evidence  
that two of her best friends had been doing THAT. Well, at least that meant  
that neither of them would be after her Mamo-chan.  
  
Mamoru worried about the effect on Crystal Tokyo. Then caught himself and  
decided he needed to get a LOT more sleep than he had been getting lately.  
  
"You," Serenity said, striding forward. "It is not seemly that my Genie  
would be gathered like this, yet incomplete."  
  
Mamoru blinked. "So, what do you want *me* to do about it?"  
  
"You are *ins* - the mortal who has bound my daughter's heart, so I ask that  
you make a wish so that the others of my genie court be here. Uranus and  
Mercury." Serenity tsked at the forgetful sha'ir.  
  
"Usako?" Mamoru was a little puzzled. What was the Queen talking about? "I  
wish Uranus and Ami-chan were here."  
  
*BANG!* *POOF!*  
  
Uranus looked a little puzzled, but checked herself and couldn't see  
anything wrong. She was still wearing her orange silks, looking a little  
tomboyish in that they were opaque and that the shirt was baggy. Upon seeing  
the Queen, she merely placed one fist against her chest and bowed her head.  
No enemies to kill so why had Uranus (djinn of retribution) been summoned?  
  
Ami was a bit different. "Nyow?!"  
  
"Waaaah! Ami's a catgirl?!" Usagi managed to yelp from where she'd collapsed  
on top of Mamoru. Mamoru continued to stare at the harem outfit Usagi was  
currently almost wearing.  
  
Amieow Mewzuno spotted *her* Grey-chan being carried about by Mineko Aino,  
and let her ears go flat against her head. Claws extended as she stalked  
forward.  
  
"Waitaminute," Usagi quickly inserted herself between Amieow and Mineko,  
seeing the mother of all catfights about to break out. "We can all get along  
and resolve our differences in a calm and rational manner, right? We are,  
after all, the pretty soldiers of love and justice and if you squabble, I'll  
punish you!"  
  
Rei was the first to do it. Usagi standing there, about to go into Full  
Pretty Speech mode, her gauzy mostly-transparent costume causing some  
nosebleeds among the samurai. It was just *too* perfect a target.  
  
Usagi took a deep breath, preparing to go on. Therefore her mouth was open  
when a lemon meringue pie slammed perfectly centered on her nose. The pie  
hung there for a few moments, then gravity slowly pulled the pie tin down  
where it flopped to the front of her outfit, then dropped to the floor. A  
pair of large blue eyes blinked open from within the gooey mass.  
  
There were a few moments of silence to mark this event.  
  
*SPLUT!*  
  
Rei slowly and deliberately reached up and moved whip cream and blueberries  
away from her eyes so she could see again, then glared at Queen Serenity.  
  
"My daughter is above pedestrian fare like that," huffed the Queen. *SPLAT!*  
The Queen began removing the Napoleon which had smashed into *her* face in  
order to glare back at Rei.  
  
Rei hefted another pie, took careful aim, and threw. Queen Serenity ducked.  
Makoto became rather acquainted with a chocolate chiffon pie.  
  
At that point all restraint fell away and the battle was truly joined.  
  
Pies and cakes flew with abandon. Creme horns bounced off of unprotected  
bodies, donuts were thrown like frizbees, and the hired help dived for  
cover.  
  
Usagi stood on a chair and tried one last time. "Everyone! Stop! This isn't  
the time or..." *SPLUT!* *SPLAT!* *THWUP!* *SMASH!* *SPLATTER!* *SPLISH!*  
*SPLASH!* *FWUT!*  
  
"MMMMMmff?!" Usagi mumbled from somewhere in the resulting mound of goo and  
pastry.  
  
One of the samurai was tossed (by a sumo apprentice) into the jukebox. Which  
oddly enough began playing music.  
  
"Are you ready, Steve? Ah-ha.  
Andy? Yeah! Mick? Ok!  
All right, fellas, let's go!"(1)  
  
Amieow jumped on Mineko, and claws were retracted, but it was definitely a  
catfight.  
  
"Oh it's been getting so hard  
Livin' with the things you do to me, aha"  
  
Hotaru got an impish expression on her face and lobbed a gooey and  
unidentifiable pastry at Setsuna.  
  
"Oh my dreams are getting so strange  
I'd like to tell you everything I see"  
  
Setsuna got a mischievous expression of her own, and used a slight  
gravitational lens effect to sling four "Chocolate Suicide Pudding-Cakes" at  
Haruka.  
  
"Oh, I see a man at the back  
As a matter of fact his eyes are red as the sun"  
  
Cyprine unfortunately had just exhaled as a "Cookies & Cream" cake struck  
her face with enough force that she spent a considerable amount of time  
trying to clear enough cake away that she could breathe.  
  
Phobos and Deimos were taking aim at Cutey Honey. Cutey Honey was trying to  
get a bead on Rei. Mars was trying to hit one of the "freeloading ninjas"  
with a chiffon pie.  
  
"And a girl in the corner let no one ignore her  
'Cause she thinks she's the passionate one."  
  
Hotaru checked, found herself in a corner, saw what was heading her way, and  
ducked. A spatter of custard managed to bounce off the wall and ended up  
going down the neck of her shirt.  
  
The battle degenerated again, as everyone indiscriminately began slinging  
either whole pastries or recycled bits and pieces of same (salvaged bits  
from previous strikes).  
  
"Oh, yeah, it was like lightning, everybody was frightening  
And the music was soothing, and they all started grooving  
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah"  
  
"People, stop," cautioned Mamoru, though he was largely drowned out by the  
jukebox. Then realized that here he was in his tuxedo, without so much as a  
splatter on him, with everyone else rapidly getting coated by goo. He wisely  
shut his mouth and looked for somewhere to hide.  
  
The large mound of goo from which two odango style ponytails were vaguely  
recognizable oriented in on his voice and started moving towards Mamoru.  
  
"And the man at the back said  
Everyone attack and it turned into a ballroom blitz "  
  
The most thickly coated mound of creme and meringue and less immediately  
identifiable elements slowly began moving, getting down off the chair, and  
slowly stumbling around the room as Usagi tried to get enough of this stuff  
out of her eyes that she could see.  
  
"And the girl in the corner said  
Boy, I wanna warn ya, it'll turn into a ballroom blitz  
Ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz"  
  
Hotaru wiped meringue off her face and gleefully threw a glob at Grey-san  
(who was apparently trying to sneak out of the restaurant). Naturally it  
struck Nuku Nuku, who was apparently getting a little drunk off the milk  
products and slung the remains of a coconut creme pie at Luna who was busy  
trying to lick all the whipped cream off of Artemis' front.  
  
For some odd reason, Artemis had passed out with a nosebleed.  
  
"Ballroom blitz  
I'm reaching out for something  
Touching nothing's all I ever do"  
  
Makoto attempted to intervene between Ami and Minako. Unfortunately she  
should have known better than to do so by grabbing their tails and pulling.  
Though perhaps all the chocolate icing and crumbs decorating her face were  
obscuring her vision. Minako bit Makoto in the resulting scuffle.  
  
Chibi-usa saw "Puu" and would have crossed over to her old friend, but the  
changes in her history had finally caught up with her. Now resembling the  
"Black Lady" as a teenager, the pinkhaired girl decided to dive for cover  
instead.  
  
"Oh, I softly call you over  
When you appear there's nothing left of you, aha"  
  
"Are you getting all this?" An awed Benny Hill asked as he watched the  
devastation occurring. The cameraman merely nodded, knowing full well that  
if he had forgotten and left the lens cap on the camera, he'd best take a  
slow boat back to England. VERY slow.  
  
With a little crying noise, the goo-encrusted Usagi latched onto her (until  
that moment) immaculate Mamo-chan. Who immediately was less than immaculate.  
  
"Now the man in the back  
Is ready to crack as he raises his hands to the sky."  
  
Rei was getting ready to pounce on Usagi when she noticed that her own  
outfit had turned transparent with all the whipped cream soaking through.  
"Eeeeeek!"  
  
Sakura whipped her sword out, slashed briefly, and got even with Rei's  
earlier tagging of her with the treacle boat. Rei's clothes came apart but  
were plastered on her so much that this wasn't immediately obvious.  
  
"And the girl in the corner is ev'ryone's mourner  
She could kill you with a wink of her eye."  
  
Hotaru found herself in a corner again, this time with Minako biting her  
ankle. She tapped on the werecheetah's head and pointed her again in the  
direction of Amieow and Makoto.  
  
Queen Serenity restored Michiru from French Maid to the Marid Neptune, which  
was met with mixed feelings from the aqua-haired girl. Upon spotting Uranus,  
however, Neptune got a naughty gleam in her eye and a bottle of chocolate  
sauce in her hands.  
  
"Oh yeah, it was electric, so frightfully hectic  
And the band started leaving, 'cause they all stopped breathing."  
  
Sumos were slapping samurai. Yakuza were fighting each other. Young girls  
were throwing less and less identifiable bits of goo that had once been  
desserts at each other.  
  
Kasumi and Ayane began using special ninja throwing techniques on puff  
pastries as they tried to hit each other.  
  
"Oh yeah, it was like lightning, everybody was frightening  
And the music was soothing, and they all started grooving"  
  
Amieow caught up with Queen Serenity, tugged out her "bikini" bottom and  
squirted the contents of a creme horn into the revealed cleft. Queen  
Serenity, as you might imagine, squeaked quite loudly.  
  
Usagi began wailing about all the food going to waste. Mamoru looked at the  
messy girl hanging onto him, at an untouched chocolate praline truffle pie  
nearby, and back at Usagi. He began to tremble from the suppressed  
temptation.  
  
"Yeah! yeahyeahyeah!"  
  
Amieow had retired from the fight with Mineko, and the two were licking  
themselves clean while pinning a boy down so that he couldn't escape again.  
All this mess in their fur apparently being quite uncomfortable.  
  
Queen Serenity, being a djinn, noticed she lacked ammunition. With an evil  
grin she conjured up the Three Stooges (actually they were Tinker Gnomes)  
and a pie making machine.  
  
"The ballroom blitz!" (2)  
  
--------  
  
(1) "Ballroom Blitz" by Sweet  
  
(2) Nobody escapes intact from a foodfight. Not the Great Wesley, not the  
Three Stooges, not Professor Fate. And no, i don't think it would've been  
funnier to have Usagi trying to catch all the pies in her mouth. Even her  
appetite has limits. (Genma on the other hand...)  
  
---asgard---  
  
"So, it's decided then?" Toltiir was currently wearing his Coyote guise,  
mainly because Bast had registered a complaint about his constant wearing of  
the black cat form.  
  
Hephaestus didn't look up from where he was rebuilding a celphone. "It's a  
compromise. By nature it fails to completely satisfy anyone."  
  
"Rrrrr," Bast purred. "The fields he drew power from were 'crossovers', the  
Jester here, your own mechanical inclinations, and mine. Are we agreed that  
this is the best compromise we are likely to develop?"  
  
Hephaestus *did* look up from his work. "Priest of Crossover Catgirls? What  
about Androids and Marionettes, Cyborgs and Dragons? He's as much influence  
so far around *those* groups as well."  
  
"A bit clumsy," indicated Toltiir. "He's also become associated with  
pokegirls and elves. Doesn't mean he should be considered a priest of 'em."  
  
"Done, let's just get it over with. Let Grey's record be appended to show  
him now as Priest of Crossover Catgirls," Fleece was tired of all this. "We  
can add Cute Androids and Cyborgs later if there's need."  
  
There was some grumbling, but the measure passed.  
  
"On to more pressing business," Hephaestus grumbled, "what about the  
instability of timeline RN-TF-201921?"  
  
---Juuban----  
  
Michiru raised her hands above her head in a slow and graceful movement like  
a ballerina. Water seemed to form in the air, trailing from her fingertips  
to gather together in a sphere before her. As the marid, Neptune, she had  
other powers but water was her specialty.  
  
Water shot off in streams, cleansing and splashing, removing the bits and  
pieces remaining of a food fight.  
  
Of course, this included the splatter on Rei. As that had been the only  
thing holding her costume together, it fell apart. Rei was largely  
unconcerned, though she made a casual gesture and reformed it after several  
of the sumo fainted with massive nosebleeds.  
  
Anything left was promptly cleaned, polished, and straightened up by an army  
of French Maids who were otherwise waiting for someone to turn them back to  
normal.  
  
Queen Serenity surveyed the work, nodding occasionally.  
  
"Setsuna-chan?" Grey began, then switched to English. "-Do you have any idea  
what happened?-"  
  
"-I am no longer Sailor Pluto, the Senshi of Time,-" Setsuna reminded Grey.  
"-Still, I have *some* affinity with the Gate of Time, and lost contact  
abruptly with my younger self. I'd say something was altered in the past and  
we are seeing the effects. You'll notice that it only affected those who  
have *current* Silver Millenium identities?-"  
  
"-Then why is Ami wearing one of those harem outfits?-" Grey countered.  
  
"-She asked the Queen for one. I'd imagine a lot of clothing against her fur  
isn't comfortable.-" Setsuna repressed a moment of envy for how comfortable  
Amieow and Mineko were with their feline transformations. "-You *do* realize  
that the only reason Mineko isn't making good on her threats to steal you  
off for a wild elopement is that Amieow wants to do that, and the Queen has  
threatened to lock you in a glass tower to keep you safe.-"  
  
"-Stop kidding around, Setsuna. This is serious.-" Grey briefly wondered why  
Setsuna rolled her eyes and seemed to be asking the heavens for something  
briefly, but maybe this was just some inside joke. "-We can't assume it's  
something beneficial, can we?-"  
  
"-You have a point,-" Setsuna reluctantly agreed. Actually she was rather  
enjoying the sight of the officious Queen wearing very little and using her  
powers to clean up a mess. Though mainly she was directing her "djinn" she  
was utilizing her own powers to some extent.  
  
Queen Serenity was aware of the scrutiny from one of her *former* djinn, and  
decided to stop ignoring it. How Pluto could bear this change of status was  
beyond her, but she could be brought back within the fold easily enough. And  
standing next to her, looking impossibly young, was her old sha'ir and mate.  
She should, perhaps, renew their acquaintance.  
  
Grey was a little put off as Queen Serenity (currently wearing *that*)  
walked towards them. She was a lot more casual about her power, and this was  
not deemed a good thing. She had already used that Crystal when angry, which  
was *definitely* a bad thing.  
  
Queen Serenity's smile when she arrived was open and friendly, betraying  
none of the usual "the weight of the Kingdom rests on my shoulders"  
preoccupation and seriousness she normally had. "Pluto, Basalt-kun."  
  
Setsuna automatically corrected her former liege. "I am Setsuna Meiou now,  
Serenity, by your own hand was my identity as Pluto switched entirely to my  
younger self."  
  
There was a shimmer in the air, which solidified. Grey stared. Setsuna  
boggled. The newcomer was the young teenage Sailor Pluto but wearing a  
costume of deep greens similar to the Queens. Other than bracers and rings,  
her arms were bare to the shoulders. Bikini top under an open front vest.  
Bikini bottom with transparent leggings. Little anklet with chiming bells.  
Who went to one knee before her liege.  
  
Grey stared LOTS. Setsuna winced and considered covering Grey's eyes for a  
moment. Then decided that his staring wasn't a *bad* thing, since that was a  
younger *her* after all. Sort of. Kind of. Not really. Setsuna found her  
hand had somehow (obviously of its own accord) managed to cover Grey's eyes.  
  
"My liege, history has been altered," Pluto informed Serenity.  
  
"How did this happen?" Serenity frowned, more for the familiar way that  
Setsuna was touching *her* former sha'ir. Well, she could do something about  
that. Besides, it couldn't have been a big change, everything seemed fine.  
  
"Power was drained from some powerful source, altered, and the change  
occurred with your own mother's personal history." Pluto continued to kneel,  
but now looked up at Grey and considered briefly the possibility of draping  
herself in a manner similar to what Moon was doing with Mamoru Chiba.  
  
The teenage Chibiusa walking up caused Setsuna to forget about her  
self-appointed task. Chibiusa *not* stuck as a child?  
  
"Eeeep," managed Mamoru Chiba from where both Usagi and Rei were clinging to  
him.  
  
Serenity briefly considered the looks passing between the younger Pluto, the  
older Setsuna, and the way the two catgirls in the background were sneaking  
up and getting ready to pounce. Clearly a command decision, a royal  
judgement, was needed. Well, the solution was obvious, wasn't it? "Very  
well. You may have them, Basalt, do not forget though that I am Queen and my  
needs are paramount."  
  
"WHAT?!" To say that most of the untransformed girls were shocked was to  
understate things greatly. Setsuna nearly facefaulted.  
  
Serenity nodded her head, seeing the logic of her decision now. There would  
be many occasions where her time and attention needed to be away from her  
sha'ir, yet she could still benefit from him being near to hand. For advice  
and the like. Yes - and she could well use this to further her own agendas.  
"Neptune, Uranus!"  
  
The two lovers appeared, the ocean marid and the djinn of retribution.  
  
Serenity's eyes swept the room. Mercury was currently a catgirl, as was  
Venus, Saturn and Jupiter were watching the antics of Serenity Moon II,  
Mars, and Endymion. Phobos, Deimos, that samurai girl, the two constructs,  
and some girl who was getting "deep in her cups" with a bottle of sake.  
Hmmmm. "Neptune, Uranus, your relationship is well known to Us, and We have  
only one problem with it. You both need to produce Heirs. To that end, you  
shall join Endymion's hareem."  
  
Uranus and Neptune both looked slyly over at where Endymion was being tugged  
in two different directions by Mars and Serenity's daughter. Neptune was the  
first to smile and respond. "That we would then be close at hand to guard  
the Princess at all hours of day and night is a mere side benefit, isn't  
it?"  
  
Serenity smiled similarly. "We well know my daughter would want to prove  
such things unnecessary, so it would not do to bring this to her attention."  
  
"Understood," said Uranus with a smirk and a look towards Neptune. On the  
marid's nod, the two stood and went to go acquaint the three with news of  
their new duties.  
  
Serenity considered the tangle surrounding Basalt. "It is necessary that we  
produce Heirs, so the solution is obvious. Where is Obsidian?"  
  
-------  
  
Miles away, Obsidian twitched. "Damn. What could give *me* the chills?!"  
  
The Wizard began to stir.  
  
Obsidian didn't waste further time or attention to details. This was old hat  
to the ancient barbarian.  
  
The Wizard was still groggy and tried to use his typical attacks, not even  
bothering to wonder what had happened to his faceless minion monsters.  
  
Sword (or knife, or axe) wielding barbarian "hero" + evil wizard = a really  
old story.  
  
After finishing up, Morgan Wright, aka Obsidian, alias the Knight Of Fear,  
whistled a little tune and started turning off the lights.  
  
A whimsical muse reached him and he turned towards the cooling body of the  
Wizard. "Ah, lad. All sorts of protection against magic, against energy,  
against gods and demons and all sorts of things. Isn't it amazing what ye  
can do with a mere foot of good hard steel?"  
  
Morgan laughed, throwing a knife that would trigger one of the less  
spectacular self-destruct mechanisms. "And didn't you know? Even the  
greatest wizard's style is crimped by a knife in the back."  
  
Morgan smiled all the way back to Mugen High School. Frankly, he thought the  
quality of opponents nowadays just reeked. Nothing like the old days.  
  
-------  
  
Grey continued to stare, what higher functions he had having gone offline  
after Serenity's pronouncement.  
  
"Absolutely, positively, *not* me!" Mamoru Chiba was in many ways, the  
Prince. He was intelligent and well versed in a number of subjects,  
handsome, tall, and acquainted with a wide range of courtly skills. He was  
also pretty sure that he could *not* handle a group marriage.  
  
Usagi apparently picked up on his misgivings. "That's right, just me and  
Rei!"  
  
Rei nodded at this, apparently quite satisfied with the arrangement as well.  
  
Mamoru Chiba didn't like this idea, but had to admit that if he could limit  
himself to only TWO fiancees, he had a better chance of survival.  
  
"Well, that leaves Obsidian and Basalt as sha'ir..." Serenity considered.  
"The sha'ir of duty, the sha'ir of fear."  
  
Grey momentarily rallied. "i'm not a Knight anymore," he tried hopefully.  
  
"Sha'ir," corrected Serenity, reaching out and affectionately tousling  
"Basalt's" hair as she paced back and forth.  
  
Grey was shocked back into immobility, this (relatively at least) casual  
laidback Serenity a drastic contrast from both his brief meeting and  
Basalt's memories.  
  
"Hmmmm," hmmed Serenity as she considered. "There is an obvious solution."  
  
"I object," objected Setsuna Meiou.  
  
"I also object," said Amieow.  
  
Serenity opened her mouth to reply, closed it to watch something occurring  
elsewhere in the room, then felt she had to say something. "Miss Aino. If  
you would refrain from biting any more people, particularly while We are  
engaged in matters of import, it would be appreciated."  
  
"She started it," mumbled Mineko from where she was tangled on the floor  
with Kasumi.  
  
"Perhaps, but it is quite distracting." Serenity pondered briefly, then  
looked around. "Interesting..." Eyes that were attuned to magic looked  
around and found patterns. This had potential uses, but she would have to  
think about the benefits versus the liabilities.  
  
Finding a young Setsuna in a skimpy outfit on one side, and a more mature  
one leaning close on the other side, while being glomped by a purring  
Amieow, Grey wasn't coherent - much less able to offer intelligent  
conversation at the moment.  
  
Serenity considered things briefly. "Fine. Until we settle things down a bit  
more, we'll go with engagements, and we'll discuss this more fully later.  
Somewhere that that poor manager won't be having fits about the presence of  
so many djinn, We think."  
  
"That's very considerate of you, your Majesty," Setsuna was again surprised.  
Serenity had been an absolute ruler, and a certain degree of detachment from  
one's subjects was necessary to perform that role efficiently. She was  
beginning to like this Serenity.  
  
Serenity shrugged. "Be that as it may, as We have utilized Our powers, as  
well as some of our Djinn, frankly, We could use some rest. Anyway, subject  
to later negotiation, We shall propose this: Endymion, the sha'ir of hope  
and renewal, shall be engaged to Princess Serenity II, Mars, Neptune, and  
Uranus. As he is currently fulltime in college and Our daughter can be  
rather... demanding, he shall get off easily. Besides, as a Prince, he may  
have to take others into his hareem when the time arrives."  
  
"Eeeep," eeped Mamoru, quite aware of the looks he was being given from the  
four named genie.  
  
"Obsidian, the sha'ir of fear and destruction," Serenity continued, a faint  
smile indicating her amusement at Mamoru's reaction, "is not exactly the  
sort to accept a hareem in any case." Her eyes swept the group, obviously  
deciding who to engage to Obsidian.  
  
*Zoop!* (That being the sound of a large number of genie and catgirls  
suddenly scooting very close to the only other male currently present and  
unaccounted for.)  
  
Noting that neither of her advisors had moved to the large pile of  
sweatdropping and anxiously smiling girls surrounding an about-to-faint  
fifteen year old boy, Serenity was a little surprised. "Very well. Luna and  
Artemis will be engaged to Obsidian. Chibiusa is too young for consideration  
at this time."  
  
Artemis was already fairly pale. She turned considerably paler and fainted.  
Luna looked fairly close to fainting herself. "B-b-b-but..."  
  
"No 'buts' Luna," said Serenity with a gracious nod of her head. "You've  
been in need of some serious relaxation and to loosen up some. We prescribe  
a long honeymoon. Enjoy."  
  
"b-b-b-but?!" Luna continued, turning quite pale at the prospect.  
  
"This is unacceptable," said Serenity after looking at the crowd briefly.  
"However, it shall have to do for now. Frankly, We are getting a headache.  
My Djinn, follow. We think to restore Our energy and best prepare for future  
endeavors, We should plan a vacation."  
  
"'Vacation'?" Setsuna pronounced. Getting Serenity to schedule downtime for  
just an afternoon would have been difficult.  
  
"Yes, we can't leave the Gate of Time unguarded of course, but perhaps  
Obsidian would fill in for Pluto," pondered Serenity out loud. "Well, shall  
we reconvene at that charming little shrine tonight?"  
  
Rei was clearly not too sure how to react to "charming little shrine."  
  
Serenity walked out the door, only to pause just on the other side until her  
Senshi and advisors (Luna dragging Artemis) followed.  
  
Amieow waved a hand in front of Setsuna's eyes, then did the same for Grey.  
"Looks like they're both out of it."  
  
Mineko nodded and smiled, showing her cute little fangs. "Tell ya what, you  
grab Setsuna, and I'll grab Grey, and we take 'em to the Shrine."  
  
Sakura cleared her throat. "How do we know you're not just going to run off  
with him again and start another... oh bother."  
  
The blonde blur cleared the doorway and was moving quickly.  
  
A blue blur was rapidly on her tail (literally in this case.)  
  
---------  
  
Obsidian sighed contentedly and crushed an empty beer can against his  
forehead. Admittedly, it would have been more impressive if the can had been  
full, but the Knight of Fear had more respect for the beverage than that.  
  
He spent a few moments in admiration of the Japanese vending machine.  
  
You could get cold beer, hot sake, both varieties of coffee, and darn near  
anything else you wanted to look for via the vending machines that seemed to  
sprout like weeds from almost every vacant lot and most major street  
corners. You could even get such items as combs, toothbrushes, and Lysol(tm)  
wipes at the row of vending machines at the rail stations.  
  
Though there were two drinks, Calpis and Pocari Sweat, that he was planning  
on avoiding like the plague.  
  
The Knight grinned at the usual "Japlish" on the signs. Vermont Curry?! Oh  
yeah, Vermont was *known* for its curry. "with apples and honey" ?! In  
CURRY?!  
  
"--aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaa--" *ZOOOM!*  
  
Obsidian stared after the image. "That looked like a blonde catgirl,  
carrying Grey, heading for Roppongi?"  
  
*Zooom!* "WAIT!"  
  
"Ami's back in town?!" Obsidian noted at this blur.  
  
*Zip!* *Whoosh!* *Vrrooom!* *pedal pedal pedal*  
  
"And that was that crazy samurai chick, the woman who used to be Sailor  
Pluto, Kisaragi on a motorcycle, and Nuku Nuku on a bicycle." Obsidian  
considered the chase sequence and thought about joining it briefly.  
"Naahhhhhh."  
  
-------  
  
The director frowned. "So we got the tape? Everyone's been paid? The  
restaurant manager's satisfied because his restaurant is getting  
international advertising?"  
  
The talent agent fretted a little. "Ah, yeah."  
  
"So why are the samurai still grumbling?"  
  
"They felt the sumo got more screentime."  
  
"And the Yaks?"  
  
"Want to redo the chase sequence."  
  
"And the sumo?"  
  
"Hideyoshi feels that the spirit of sumo was not properly maintained during  
the battle, and wants to suggest that more traditional Japanese foods be  
used."  
  
"I see. How do you say 'they're idiots' in Japanese?"  
  
--------  
  
Serenity noticed the looks she was getting, determined the cause, and  
changed her clothes to more civilian garb. This caused even more muttering  
and murmurring.  
  
Mamoru was looking stricken. Haruka and Michiru were making all sorts of  
suggestions as to how to spice up his performance. Usagi was... taking  
notes? Hmmm.  
  
"Everyone, shift your clothes to the odd garb of this culture. We don't want  
to alarm the locals overmuch." Serenity suggested with a wink.  
  
"A little late for that," grumbled Mamoru, who was being ignored by  
everyone.  
  
Several sparkling nifty light shows later, people were fleeing the group  
despite their relatively normal costumes now.  
  
"No pleasing some people," observed Serenity. "Oh well, no accounting for  
taste."  
  
*Zooom!*  
  
Serenity blinked. "We must be more tired than previously guessed."  
  
*Zoom!* *Zip!* *Whoosh!* *Vroom!* *pedal pedal pedal*  
  
The Djinn Queen appended her earlier statement. "We must be a LOT more tired  
than we had previously guessed."  
  
"Don't tell me she's *still* trying to elope with Grey-san," commented  
Usagi. Then brightened and exchanged a look with Rei. Mamoru *really* began  
to sweat.  
  
"Okay," said Hotaru, making a mental note not to belabor the obvious with  
Usagi. "Excuse me, I've got to interrupt this."  
  
Makoto looked back and forth for a moment, conflicting desires running  
through her head.  
  
Serenity noted that everyone else was seeing the same thing that she had  
first attributed to tiredness, then shrugged. "Well, it *is* her night,  
after all. If she wants to spend it running around town, let her."  
  
-------  
  
The problem was that cheetahs were sprinters, not long distance runners.  
While Mineko had enjoyed the chase, her endurance had just abruptly come to  
an end.  
  
"This is getting old," said Grey, wrestling the blonde catgirl into a  
Fireman's Carry position.  
  
As they were already almost there, he walked down the hallway and opened the  
door.  
  
"Man, the Japanese can be *awfully* tacky when they set their mind to it."  
Grey looked around the room just long enough to locate the round bed, and  
then lower Mineko gently to it before crossing to the crescent moon-shaped  
sofa to rest.  
  
Tacky was first impression, and it certainly seemed to fit. There was a  
certain morbid curiosity, though, and so Grey looked over the place.  
  
He understood that love hotels were developed because making out in the back  
seat of one's car was not even vaguely possible in Japan. Driving *anywhere*  
was difficult, parking out of the way was unlikely and would take hours in  
any case - destroying any spontanaeous feel, and that the Japanese were  
hardly given to anything approaching public affection anyway - unless they  
were catgirls or something apparently.  
  
Hence the love hotel, which was significantly different from the "no tell  
motels" of America. Not that he'd been in one, other than hearing "the guys"  
talk back in school. For one, these had the usual attention to cleanliness  
levels of the Japanese, and as far as he knew none of the American variety  
went with the concept of "theme rooms." Except maybe in Vegas. You could  
never tell with some of the stories of Las Vegas.  
  
The one he'd been in earlier with Ami had been pretty nondescript. This was  
anything but. Oddly enough, Grey thought it was the same building.  
  
The bed that Mineko was currently snoring on was round and had a bedsheet  
that resembled the lunar landscape. The couch that Grey was sitting on was  
yellow and crescent shaped. It was, as a look at the various pictures, odd  
equipment in a rack by the bed, and some of the furniture, a Sailor Moon  
themed room.  
  
Getting up, he pushed the top button on a row of buttons along the bed's  
headboard. The bed, with the still snoring Mineko, began to rotate slowly.  
Another button slid open a closet full of multicolored Senshi Sailor  
uniforms. Though there were some odd liberties taken with these uniforms.  
Why would you put zippers THERE?!  
  
"Nyaaa....?! What the heck?!" Amieow walked in the still open door and  
STARED around her.  
  
"I'm not sure why Mineko wanted to show me this, unless she thought it was  
amusing." Grey had to admit it *was* kind of fascinating. So garishly and  
unrepentantly tacky that it drew the eye from one bit of flash to the next.  
  
Others began filing in, and it was easy to see how. While Mineko had been  
fast enough to outdistance everyone but Setsuna, Amieow was sniffing the  
room. She'd followed Mineko's scent, and everyone else had followed her.  
  
"Nyaow?!" Amieow was looking at the life sized statue of Sailor Mercury with  
an expression that was equal parts nausea and fascination. "I *never* posed  
for *that*! Especially like that. And my, errr, talent..."  
  
"My goodness," agreed Setsuna. Whoever it was, they had only done the  
Inners. She decided to be relieved that she wasn't represented rather than  
insulted that she wasn't included.  
  
"If Mars or Moon could see this, there would nosebleeds," commented Makoto  
before her gaze turned to what Amieow was looking at. "Eeeek! What is my  
statue doing to *your* statue?!"  
  
"Getting ready for a swim? The breaststroke, maybe," punned Amieow.  
  
"We are NOT THAT WAY!" Makoto shouted, getting really tired of that  
implication. "I like TALL GUYS, damn it."  
  
Grey took refuge in other activity. He hadn't noticed the statues,  
especially with the mural on the ceiling. So he just flipped Mineko so her  
tail was up and then started using those massage techniques. "-You suppose  
this was what she was after?-"  
  
There was a brief facefault from all those who understood English.  
  
Setsuna stopped examining the statues of Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars, and  
looked over at Grey briefly. "-Well, she *has* been running a lot. So I'd  
imagine the back of her thighs are a bit tight... Oh my word.-" Setsuna had  
just spotted the ceiling.  
  
"Eeek!" "Eeep!" "That's anatomically impossible... I think." "I do NOT go  
there! Especially THERE!" "That's kinda disgusting... alarming... oh heck,  
just plain SICK." "...and why Sailor Suits anyway?!"  
  
Queen Serenity arrived, Usagi and Chibiusa in tow. After a stunned moment,  
everyone started covering Chibiusa's eyes.  
  
"Damn, she's really tight here," Grey said, moving to Mineko's lower legs.  
Her purring was loud enough to be heard out in the hallway.  
  
Amieow performed a quick medical exam on Mineko, peeling an eye back and  
checking the pupil, and looking over what Grey was doing. "She's okay.  
Exhaustion and muscle cramps from the look. Hmmm. Interesting technique."  
  
"-What?-"  
  
Setsuna examined the work. "Hmmm? Not very experienced, but he's using a ki  
technique? Strong hands too. Quite interesting."  
  
It was safer to focus on what was going on regarding the massage technique  
than the furnishings. Suddenly everyone was focussed on *that*.  
  
"What's a ki technique?" asked Usagi.  
  
Setsuna was about to make a long involved explanation dealing with Eastern  
mysticism, ki and chi and planes of force. Then remembered she was speaking  
to Usagi. "Projected life force."  
  
"Ah," said Usagi, nodding as if she understood.  
  
Rei covered her eyes. "You didn't understand that at all, did you, Usagi?"  
  
Usagi looked up at the ceiling, remembered why she wasn't looking at  
anything else in the room right now, and focussed on the massage. "Nope."  
  
Amieow considered carefully. "-I'm next!-"  
  
Grey stared for a moment, then shrugged and went back to work.  
  
Serenity had a different question. "Would someone explain to me why my genie  
are depicted in such ridiculous costumes? And doing things like *that*?!"  
  
===============  
  
omake*omake*omake*omake  
  
once again with an attempt to radically depart from the standard "Meet The  
Tendos" opening. Reworking of an earlier attempt.  
  
TAKE TWO: KITTENS OMAKE  
  
Soun nodded to himself as his three daughters dutifully gathered. He  
schooled himself to try and restrain himself from getting too emotional at  
this moment. When they were finally settled down, he merely produced the  
postcard. "Ranma is coming."  
  
*snatch!*  
  
Akane stared at the card now in Nabiki's hands. "He's coming?!" *bounce  
bounce bounce*  
  
"Oh, thank goodness," Kasumi said, wiping away tears. "I'm not getting any  
younger, you know."  
  
"Finally! Thank the kami!" Nabiki made a note to visit a temple and light  
some incense. Ever practical, Nabiki shot a glance at her father. "You'll  
deal with that father of his?"  
  
Soun nodded, a gleam entering his eyes. Bonds of friendship forged through  
mutual suffering was one thing, but to harm HIS little girls... Soun Tendo  
might be a blubbering weenie but he was a blubbering weenie who had his  
limits.  
  
Kidnapping his little girls so they could be thrown into a pit with some  
other girls and starved so that Genma could try and teach his son some lame  
martial arts manuever had not sat well with Soun Tendo. Nope.  
  
Nabiki was mumbling with an eerie light in her eyes. "...and I will pet him  
and pat him and love him and squeeze him and rub his tummy and..."  
  
Kasumi was listening to Nabiki and nodding. Sounded like a game plan. Akane  
merely continued to bounce around like Tigger.  
  
A commotion out front served to penetrate Soun's reverie.  
  
"That must be them!" Akane squealed, rushing for the door.  
  
*THWAM* *THWAM* *TRAMPLE* *TRAMPLE*  
  
A panda groaned from the ground where it had been knocked down, then run  
over. A redhaired girl moaned likewise from the same treatment.  
  
"Where is he?" Kasumi asked, feeling *very* disappointed. "Oh... poor  
Ranma... I'm sure he hasn't been eating well. I..." *sniff* *sniff*  
  
Akane stopped prowling the compound as well and began sniffing. "That  
scent!"  
  
Nabiki, with the sharpest senses, dropped next to the girl and began  
sniffing her. "Smells like Ranma - but the hormones are different."  
  
"oooooo." The redhead propped herself up and tried to focus on the fuzzy  
shape sniffing at her. "Nabiki?! I..."  
  
Nabiki was joined by her two sisters who continued to sniff. After the girl  
passed out again, a decision was reached.  
  
-----------  
  
Ranma awoke and shot to the ceiling in a single motion.  
  
Nabiki looked up at where Ranma was clinging to the ceiling. "Nyaa. I told  
you not to groom him *there*, Akane."  
  
Akane merely smiled and licked her lips.  
  
Kasumi merely crouched down and prepared to spring.  
  
"Hey, waitaminute, I..." Ranma managed before three catgirls pounced on him  
and commenced cuddling. It was just cuddling, though. Well, Akane seemed to  
be a little suggestive there.  
  
Soun watched for a few moments, wiping tears from his eyes. "That's the way!  
Don't take no for an answer. Ah, you do your father proud!"  
  
"What are they doing, Tendo?" Genma mumbled from where his head had been  
imbedded in the ceiling.  
  
"Well, Saotome, you know how the Master cast that spell on my wife - turning  
her into a semihuman animal? And how my daughters are fortunately more human  
than Kimiko ended up, but are still catgirls?"  
  
More mumbling from Genma that sounded like an agreement. After all, it had  
been that cute lil' catgirl Ukyo who had thrown the martial arts training  
manual in that canal. With the ink wet and pages stuck together, Genma had  
needed to rely on educated guesses as to the contents.  
  
"Well, legally, they can't marry Ranma," said Soun in a sad voice. "Not in  
Japan, anyway. Yet. However, he *can* adopt them as his pets and if children  
develop it will prove that they *are* human. Tails and ears and fur and  
claws not withstanding."  
  
"mmmmmf!" Genma protested.  
  
"By the way, Saotome, I just made a few calls." Soun smiled at how well his  
daughters were getting along with Ranma. There may be new kits on the way  
before long, at least if Akane had *her* say in the matter. Such a perverted  
little kitty she was.  
  
"Calls?" Genma said, still trying to get his head out of the ceiling.  
  
"Yes. When you rounded up all those daughters of victims of Happosai's  
'sexpet curse' experiments to use that pit of catgirls, you certainly made  
an impression on them and their families. Did it work, by the way?"  
  
"Uhmm. No. Not really," said Genma from his position. "Instead of being  
starved for three days and then attacking my son to get the fish sausages  
tied to his body, they instead apparently took the sausages off and cuddled  
with him to get warm and due to some odd affectionate instinct. I tried  
everything, Tendo. Fish paste, salmon cakes, catnip. I starved them for  
almost a week once. They didn't attack him. They *bonded* with him. It got  
so that he was begging to be thrown into the pit just so he 'could feed the  
kitties'. Shameful. What a worthless son!"  
  
"And then, when they tried to escape *with* Ranma, you beat them down," said  
Soun, eyeing his friend as if the overweight man was a pinata and the  
shinnai in his hands would be used to break it open.  
  
"I *had* to, Tendo! It was for the sake of The Art!" Genma paused in his  
efforts to work himself free. "Errr. Waitaminute. What phone calls?"  
  
"Oh, that cute lil kitten Ukyo works nearby," said Soun casually. "Then  
there's those girls from Juuban. Though I don't expect those girls from that  
village of warrior catgirls (Nekojoketsuzoku?) to arrive here for quite some  
time yet."  
  
*DING DONG!*  
  
Genma froze as the front doorbell rang. Then, on hearing an angry feminine  
voice, finally managed to rip his head free of the ceiling. He had to reach  
up to pull his glasses out, and the sight that was then revealed was *not*  
very comforting.  
  
There was the lionlike Katsumi, err, Kasumi. Pleasant little smile on her  
face while she looked on. There was the housecatlike Nabiki, eyes narrowed  
and gleaming. There was the tiger-striped Akane, teeth gleaming and claws  
extended.  
  
There was also a number of other girls: some catgirls, a foxgirl, a pair of  
bunnygirls, a mousegirl, and a few other types. All looking very very  
peeved.  
  
Soun sighed and cleared out of the way. "Comfort yourself with this,  
Saotome. My daughters and your son will likely get along very well. And what  
they do to you is only practice for when and if the Master ever returns.  
Girls? Try to clean up after you're done."  
  
"Tendo?" Genma blinked as his old buddy Soun walked off without a backwards  
glance. He couldn't actually be...  
  
Somehow Genma *knew* that the Crouch of the Wild Tiger wasn't going to get  
him out of this.  
  
------click------  
  
Kuno stood before the gates of the school. Here were the two abominations,  
joined by their sister this time! Clearly this could not be tolerated.  
  
"Hold, thou mockeries of humanity! The noble Tatewaki Kuno defends this  
institution from thy influence! The Blue Thunder of Furinkan High shall not  
tolerate thy presence in the hallowed halls of learning. Animals such as  
yourselves need only learn obediance to thy master, and the great Blue  
Thunder doth think that only he can put thee in thy proper place."  
  
"Geez, is this guy fond of hearing himself talk or what?" Ranma frowned as  
he noticed how the girls had cringed at this guy's posturing. What had this  
moron done to them?  
  
"You there!" Kuno pointed his bokken at the boy standing with the catgirls.  
"How dare you address these subhumans so familiarly. Only by being properly  
owned by myself can their fate be salvaged!"  
  
"Huh? Oh, I'm Ranma Saotome. Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. And  
well..."  
  
Akane saw the chance for mischief and to distance herself from Kuno. Just  
because she *was* a fierce tigress didn't mean she wanted to have Kuno keep  
up with this stuff. "He's staying with us. And he's my little Ranma-chan!"  
*GLOMP!* *SNUGGLE!* *PURRRRRRRRR!*  
  
"Hey! Waitaminute!" Ranma protested but it was too late. "I never agreed  
to..."  
  
*GLOMP!* *GLOMP!*  
  
Steam practically shot out of Kuno's ears as he saw the three catgirls  
hugging themselves to this interloper. "You... you... FIEND! I SHALL SMITE  
THEE!"  
  
Three cats looked up as one, letting go of Ranma.  
  
*SLICE!* *BITE!* *SLASH!*  
  
Kuno was still staring at the nub of his bokken, his clothes falling  
shredded around him, while Kasumi delicately cleaned the blood from her  
mouth where she'd bitten his arm. "ouch..."  
  
Akane grabbed the front of Kuno's hakama and dragged his head down to eye  
level with her. Her ears were back, her teeth were bared, her eyes narrowed,  
and her claws were fully extended. She didn't look happy, in other words.  
"Kuno. How *dare* you threaten my Ranma!"  
  
"...but I wanted to be the one to defeat him in a casual yet aggravating  
manner," sulked Ranma.  
  
Akane glared deeply into Kuno's eyes. "You threaten my Ranma again and  
you'll regret it."  
  
"...*our* Ranma," corrected Nabiki. She was the neko ninja, after all. Akane  
would likely hurt Kuno, whereas Nabiki could be very clever in her means of  
vengeance.  
  
Kuno broke out of the hold, leaving Akane clutching a torn piece of cloth in  
her hand. "I shall not tolerate this! I..."  
  
"Hurrrrr?! Someone's threatening *my* Ranchan?" Cute little kitten Ukyo's  
eyes were slits as she stalked forward, having just arrived, transfer papers  
getting tucked into her bookbag.  
  
"Morons is for killing," suggested Shampoo, stalking forward with Ukyo.  
  
"Morons is for killing?" Ukyo said speculatively.  
  
"It has a ring to it," agreed Akane.  
  
"Morons is for killing," mused Nabiki, picturing t-shirts with the logo.  
Hmmm.  
  
Kuno pulled a spare bokken out of nowhere. "Know that you face the  
undefeated Blue Thunder. I shall prove my prowess and free thee of this  
unwanted ownership. Then we may..."  
  
Battle auras flared. Claws were extended. Tatewaki Kuno got hurt.  
  
Ranma sulked some more. "...but *I* wanted to fight..."  
  
Meanwhile, Akane (acting on ancient instincts) was currently digging a nice  
big hole to drag the school's unconscious star kendoist into.  
  
It was instinct, of course. Not planned at all. Nope. Akane was a nice kitty  
after all. The others joining in was also likely just instinct.  
  
Right?  
  
===========  
  
next: chapter 25, end of ASD 


	25. A Soldier's Duty, Chapter 25+omake (fina...

  
A Soldier's Duty, chapter 25  
  
"...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - thing about such things." _Philippians 4:8  
  
"1500 years ago, everyone KNEW that the Earth was the center of the Universe. 500 years ago, everyone KNEW the world was flat. And 5 minutes ago you KNEW people were alone on this planet. Imagine what we'll KNOW tomorrow." - Agent K, "Men In Black"  
  
---------  
  
Queen Serenity of the Kingdom of the Djinn was many things. Stupid was not on the list.  
  
"So, you're saying that a partial retroactive temporal flux caused an adjustment in our past that had little effect on the present day Tokyo, but completely rewrote our ancient kingdom, and that only those of you who were cut off from those ties were completely unaffected?" Serenity idly chewed on knuckle as she pondered. "Interesting."  
  
"Actually, I wasn't cut off, and I remember the Moon Kingdom," Mamoru said, still eyeing Usagi and Rei nervously.  
  
"Perhaps the change ran out of power," said Grey over Amieow's purring. "Though if it *was* the Enemy, i think it likely it was stopped because this was *not* the sort of results he was after."  
  
"Rrrrrrr, lowerrrrr Grrrey-chan," purred Amieow. "Oh yeeeeeeeahhhhhh."  
  
Makoto watched Amieow practically melting down while her calves and feet were being rubbed. "Me next!"  
  
"Excuse me, the line is *after* me," disagreed Setsuna.  
  
"Nuku Nuku want try!"  
  
"If I may," said Serenity, "was this 'Moon Kingdom' of 'Senshi' any happier? Will some 'Crystal Tokyo' be a better choice than the reborn 'Djinn Kingdom'?" Serenity openly considered. "Setsuna Meiou. You are among the best informed, if I may ask of you to make an unbiased opinion. What say you?"  
  
Setsuna blinked. SERENITY was asking her opinion? "Well, that would depend on who you ask..."  
  
"Actually," said Serenity wryly, "I had a bit more detail in mind. Basalt?"  
  
Grey kept his attention on a knot of tension in Amieow's low back for a moment until he felt it unwind. Though it was odd feeling the vibration of her purring through his hands. "It depends to some extent, as Setsuna said. The Senshi were less powerful, but more independent, than your Djinn. They were not prone to being stuffed into lamps or anything for example."  
  
"Lamps are only for common Djinn such as Phobos, Deimos, Luna, and Artemis," corrected Serenity. "Rings and gems are more common, while Uranus is bound to a sword and Neptune a mirror. Still, your point is accepted."  
  
"There's also Chibiusa, who is not stuck at a very young age," admitted Grey. "And this group marriage concept wouldn't have flown nearly as well prior to this change."  
  
"I *have* noticed that neither you nor Endymion seem as comfortable with the idea," drily commented Serenity. "How peculiar."  
  
Grey shook his head. He knew some some teenage boys who would be joyful at the prospect of polygamy. It seemed to him, however, (actually facing the possibility of such a relationship) that you took on the problems of a marriage multiplied as well as the good points. Not to mention expenses, the amount of time and affection spent on one curtailing into the others' time, and just plain exhausting (he was thinking specifically of laundry and cooking here actually. When he would eventually get around to the idea of the honeymoon, he'd likely faint.) In fact, it would be likely to dilute the good points in favor of the bad.  
  
"Why me?" Mamoru demanded of the heavens, then realized he was looking at the mural on the ceiling again and shut his eyes rather than burn those images into his retinas. "You know, things were simpler in the fight against Beryl."  
  
"Which one?" Rei asked. "Back when your four chief sorcerers (Jedite, Nephrite, Kunzite, Zoicite) were mind controlled by Beryl and you had to free us, their genie, from enslavement to their base wishes? Or do you mean the one we just got through a couple of years ago with the Blue Djinn and Metallica?"  
  
"That was Metal'la," corrected Makoto. "And Beryl was a moron."  
  
"Well, duh!" Usagi said. "Making pacts with Class Three Freeroaming Entities in a bid to destroy the world because she had the hots for my Mamo-chan? Like, that just totally was bogus."  
  
"Would you stop it with the Osaka-ben language, Usagi?" Rei rubbed her forehead while managing to keep one arm around Mamoru's arm. "You're gonna give me a headache!"  
  
"Good, that means that I'll go first!" Usagi said from her position on the other side of Mamoru.  
  
"I think that *I'm* getting the headache," said Mamoru wearily. Prince of Earth or not, he was in college, he had to study. Where he was going to get the solitude or time was rapidly becoming a major concern.  
  
----------  
  
Somewhere in the multiverse, a boy named Ataru Moroboshi gave a howl of envy and frustration.  
  
This was followed by an electrical crackle and a "Darling No Baka" on general principles.  
  
Which didn't hurt nearly so much for Ataru, as the idea of someone, somewhere, somehow, getting HIS harem.  
  
This would eventually lead him on a quest to find and catch the most beautiful women in the multiverse and put them in pokeballs, up until they got out and started whomping his butt into the ground. But that is another story.(1)  
  
Right now he was just getting zapped.  
  
--------  
  
"So it's sort of mixed, neither particularly better nor worse?" Serenity said, getting tired of everyone talking AROUND the subject. What were they, djinn or politicians?!  
  
"The Senshi were not slaves," offered Grey *very* reluctantly as he worked the kinks out of Hotaru's shoulders. It was kind of alarming that Hotaru seemed to be purring. Just a little, but still!  
  
"Very well then," said Serenity, coming to a decision. "We must correct this. The good of my subjects comes before all else."  
  
"Now THAT sounds like the old Serenity," said Setsuna, then looked down at her feet. "Mineko, why did you bite me in the ankle?"  
  
"Nyah? I did that during the pie fight. Sorry, I had egg creme in my eyes." Mineko went back to watching Grey work. She was beginning to appreciate strong hands in a guy. Even if the guy wasn't that cute. On the other hand, he *was* the closest thing to an offer she'd had since Ace/Danburite.  
  
"Endymion, Basalt, you two are ins. Stand at the center. My daughter, my granddaughter, link hands with me. My djinn, link hands around us." Serenity firmly grasped the two hands and noticed the puzzled look from Basalt. "A magic circle, and three is a number that has its echoes in power. The good of the Kingdom, and my people, is first. If the Senshi Kingdom was superior..."  
  
"Moon Kingdom, and i'm not sure i'd say 'superior' really..." Grey's voice trailed off. He understood that if the changes were still occurring that they had to move quickly if they were to hope to reverse it, but there were so many aspects (*not* the polygamy angle) that he wanted to explore.   
  
"Focus on this Kingdom of color coded warriors," advised Serenity. "Wish for things to return to normal. Genie can provide the power, but it is mortals who provide the focus and the wish. Through cooperation between the two, the sum is greater than either part. Focus, my sha'ir."  
  
The two humans in the center exchanged a helpless shrug. "I wish everything was back to normal," they said in unison.  
  
Endymion tried. He really tried. Though he was getting looks from Usagi, Rei, *and* Uranus and Neptune. Which made him quite self-conscious.  
  
Grey tried, though the looks from Amieow, Mineko, Sakura, Setsuna, and Hotaru were distracting. Especially when he could *swear* that that looked like a cat tail poking out from Hotaru's back?!  
  
(FLASH!)  
  
------------  
  
Celeste checked. "Well, it looks like the time's almost up."  
  
"I thought they had more time," complained Fleece.  
  
"All of these sweeping changes are speeding up the process," Celeste replied and flicked a switch.  
  
A well modulated female voice spoke. "Time until simulated timeline overlays biodeath earth timeline: 5 minutes 37 seconds our time. In simulation: 5 hours, forty four minutes."  
  
"You see?" Celeste said.  
  
"Warning," interrupted the computer voice. "Retroactive alteration occurring. Merger hastening. Recalculating time remaining."  
  
"Oh dear," said Celeste. "Well, there's one chance of pulling something successful out of this now."  
  
---------  
  
"It's not my fault," said Grey. "Though i'm getting this odd feeling of deja vu."  
  
"Nyaaa," agreed Queen Purrenity, not indicating which statement she was agreeing with.  
  
"Usako is a lion-girl," said Mamoru, a little bit in shock.  
  
"So's her mother," pointed out the M'rei as if it were perfectly normal.  
  
"The Moon Kingdom was originally settled by refugees from the Ctarl-Ctarl Empire, fleeing a war with Tau Ceti, what else would you expect?" asked catgirl Artemis. (2)  
  
"I don't even want to ask," responded Mamoru.  
  
"Werecat Tokyo?" Grey stared at the tiger striped Jupiter, the blue furred Mercury, the cheetah-marked Venus, the pantherish Mars, lionlike Usagi and Serenity. He wasn't sure *what* kind of cat the two Plutos, Uranus and Neptune were. Even Hotaru was looking feline. So was Catti Honey, Nuku Nuku, and Phobos and Deimos? "Let me guess, the ancient enemy from Tau Ceti were werewolves?"  
  
"Of course," agreed M'rei. "Oh, waitaminute. You really *don't* remember all this?"  
  
"I didn't ask, I didn't want to know, I still don't want to know."  
  
"And Rei..." began Grey.  
  
"M'rei," corrected the shrine priestess who could turn into Nekosume Bisenshi Panthera Mars.  
  
"And Usagi are engaged to Mamoru here?"  
  
"Nyaaa," agreed Usagi, hugging her Mamo-chan.  
  
"Grey-san? I really could have done without knowing that." Mamoru tried not to picture him and two girls who could literally rip him into ribbons.  
  
"We'll try again, then," said Queen Purrenity, "if this is clearly not right yet."  
  
"Maybe we ought to stop while we're ahead?" Grey was not at all sure what to make of all this, or the eerie feeling of deja vu.  
  
"NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Mamoru didn't agree with the concept at all.  
  
---------  
  
Black asteroids tumbled closer, passing the orbit of the moon. Travelling at speeds measured in hundreds of thousands of miles per hour, it would take them less than a few minutes to cross that gulf and impact the Earth. Though the largest three would miss, the fourth one was still twenty miles long and eight miles wide.(3)  
  
Sailor Galaxia, having followed some strange person with a strong aura, had found herself in some place called Libya and was trying to find someone with a Star Seed. So far she hadn't had any success. What confused her was that everytime she hit someone with her attack, they faded out as opposed to transforming. And why had the landscape started shifting around her into this barren, bombed out, desolate wasteland?   
  
Ryouga Hibiki, having no idea who that strange woman with the funky hairstyle was, had absolutely no idea that he'd given Tokyo a reprieve. Of course, by the time he realized she wasn't following him anymore, he'd ended up in the "Pottery Inlayers and Glaziers Convention" (PIGcon, though it was actually more of a tradeshow) in Cairo. Thousands of handcrafted pieces of pottery, sculpture, glassware, and the supplies needed to turn them out. Which is why Ryouga sat down and tried not to move through the crowds. Even he could see this disaster coming.  
  
And in a place known as Japan, in the Minato-ku, Azabu Juuban, section of Tokyo, Death met up with Tiger Tanaka to share one last drink.  
  
And in a place known as the Goddess Relief Office, a woman named Celeste prepared to try and snatch victory from the maw of disaster. Interference had caused the problems, interference could fix it, but the choice had to come from the candidate.  
  
-------  
  
Grey looked around. A void stretched in every direction. The only things present seemed to be a large section of stone, in the center of which was a well, attended by an old woman with a staff. "Oh dear."  
  
"I am a representitive of the Norns," said the woman in a raspy voice. "Fate is upon you, and you must choose."  
  
"Choose what?" Grey's natural response to what was apparently a not immediately hostile but powerful being. Be polite and stall.  
  
"You have several young ladies who may, or may not, end up being with you for quite some time. You must choose one. As your time was curtailed by forces outside your control, you may ask three questions, which I must answer truthfully."  
  
Grey bit back the immediate and obvious questions "Is this for real?" or "Why don't I have time?" Those would obviously count among those three questions. Which meant that one would have to try and be tricky. Unfortunately he wasn't ready for this.  
  
"You may begin," said the older woman, making a gesture and causing a large hourglass to appear and begin marking time.  
  
Letting out a deep breath, Grey focussed. If this was some kind of trap, the girls might be in trouble. So a question to maybe serve the purpose the woman was stating, but also determine if this was one of those nasty little Edgar Allan Poe sort of things. "Who among any of them needs me?"  
  
Celeste winced in her disguise. That had NOT been a good question from her point of view. "None. None of them need you." Seeing his puzzled look, Celeste expounded on the simple answer. "All of them: Senshi, Queen, Warriors, Spies - they are all strong and proud and quite capable of living out their natural span of years without you or any man."  
  
"Oh..." Grey let out another deep breath, trying to squash the feeling of disappointment. At least they were safe, *if* the woman was telling the truth. That didn't mean they were all lesbians, did it?  
  
"Next question," prompted Celeste, looking upwards and asking that the boy before her get a clue.  
  
Trying to center himself and concentrate, Grey tried again. "Who..." He had the feeling he was missing something. Something important. He just couldn't figure out *what* with the sand pouring down. This was a test. He hated tests. Nobody needed him, so what did that leave? "Who would I be able to make the happiest?"  
  
Another wince. "In each case, there will be good times and bad times. From Ami to Setsuna, each would have times when they love you dearly, and other times when they just want to shake some sense into you. In each case the seeds of a serious and long term relationship have been planted, and in each case it all depends on how you and she interact over the nurturing of that relationship that will determine how it grows. In other words, you have more or less normal odds."  
  
"Oh," repeated Grey. That hadn't been much help either.   
  
"Last question," said Celeste, still slightly hopeful. It was an obvious question, why didn't he just ask it?  
  
Grey started working at it, keeping an eye on the hourglass. Or rather more of a 10min glass considering how much was already gone. Still, if choosing one wouldn't necessarily make one happier than the others, and none needed him, then none of them would particularly be upset if he just quietly left and went back to America, would they? He'd heard Mamoru and Rei and the others. Things hadn't been as crazy prior to his appearance. Things had been predictable.   
  
"Any time now," indicated Celeste. Why couldn't he just ask the darn question?  
  
"Uhm," said Grey, just *knowing* there was a question to ask. But what? If choosing one didn't make anyone happy, and nobody needed him, then they weren't in any danger from this were they? So... "That is. I think that. If it's just up to me, that is. Then... argggh!"  
  
Celeste groaned herself. Classic case of Tenchi Syndrome. Nice guy who fell apart into a ruin of indecision when it came to anything regarding women. "Time's almost up."  
  
"None of them actually want me, I think, so I can't ask that. None of them love me, half of 'em are after Basalt - my previous life. Not sure what the other half want. So... Got it!"  
  
"Finally," growled Celeste.  
  
"Whose life would I improve the most by being able to share it with them?" Grey thought this had the most potential for being a good question.  
  
"Idiot," grumbled Celeste. "That's essentially the same as the 'happiness question' and the answer is the same. ANY of them could have their life improved or ruined by you, depending on the decisions you and she make. Now you've got to choose one."  
  
Grey nodded, filled with the absolute certainty of a fifteen year old making a choice that he would have to live with for the rest of his life. "My choice is clear then. If I could bring ruin to any of them, I choose none. If I could make any of 'em happy, if one of them actually wanted or needed me, I'd just go ahead and marry 'em right now."  
  
Celeste covered her forehead. "Moron," she said with a certain painful tone.  
  
"Let the record show then: that during his Fourth Labor, Grey L Shard has failed." THIS voice was male and echoed oddly. "Let his memories be returned, as well as those of the other test subjects. The simulation is ended."  
  
"Huh?! Oh crap," said Grey as memories fell into place.  
  
Celeste pointed. "Sorry. Elevator's over there."  
  
Grey nodded and started walking towards it. Expulsion from the Heavens. In fact, there was only one way to go in THAT elevator. All the way down. He stopped with his hand on the button. "Will any of them at least be happy?"  
  
"We'll see what can be done," said Celeste. "There's a good chance."  
  
Nodding, Grey got into the elevator. There was a certain contentment in that he'd brought some happiness their way at least. Though the music from the elevator was *way* too appropriate.  
  
"In a little while from now  
If I'm not feeling any less sour   
I promise myself to treat myself   
And visit a nearby tower   
And climbing to the top   
to throw myself off.  
In an effort to   
make it clear to whoever   
What it's like when you're shattered."  
  
Grey found himself going back over the Labor. Yeah, he'd have done a few things differently given the chance. Still, he knew in his heart that he just plain wasn't worthy of the affection of any of those girls. He'd been dirtied and soiled by living entirely too long, and in one set of nasty circumstances after another. Better they find someone without all the mental baggage.  
  
"Alone again, naturally," continued the music.  
  
---------  
  
Celeste snapped her fingers and threw off the old woman disguise. "Damn. I had hopes too. Setsuna really deserved a chance too."  
  
"So why so glum?" Toltiir asked.  
  
"Because the boy's gone to hell?" Bast asked in reply. "Frankly, I think he's already been there."  
  
"You weren't just pulling his leg?" Toltiir stared. He'd thought that Bast, Celeste, and Susanou were just setting up for a punch line. It was how *he* would have handled it, after all. "Wasn't *anyone* paying attention to his words? Yeesh."  
  
"But he said..." Celeste began to think about what he'd said. "But the Labor was for him to decide on... but then he *did* didn't he?"  
  
"Put the guy on hiatus, he needs it," advised Toltiir. "Besides, there's a wedding and honeymoon to plan."  
  
"A marriage that goes well can be heaven, one that goes bad can be hell, so there is something of a continuation there of his Labor, yes?" Susanou frowned. He still wanted to kick the little schmuck for leading Amaterasu on like that, but thought that this was a little much.  
  
----------  
  
Grey got off the elevator, head held high. He may have been a failure all his life, and been kicked out of Heaven, and be a really pathetic loser, but he wasn't going to whine about it. He'd done his best! If that wasn't good enough, then it wasn't. He was going into the pits of Hell, but at least the girls he'd met would be better off.  
  
His stride faltered as he realized that this was *not* a stygian depth backlit with volcanic wounds oozing putrescence. Not Hell's lobby after all. There wasn't even the Gates with their made-famous-by-Dante logo. ("Abandon all hope, ye who pass through these portals." Grey had been planning on making a remark about how Hope was among his favorite comedians and he wouldn't abandon him.)  
  
There was no sign of Marller, Charon, or even Oscar. No indication of supernatural evil anywhere he could sense.  
  
A forest? A *green* forest? With normal looking plants and trees? This didn't fit. And why did he feel so *different*? He shouldn't have adapted unless he was...  
  
...in a different timestream.   
  
*Crackle* *THOOM!*   
  
Lying in a daze on the ground, smouldering, Grey wondered if someone was trying to tell him something.  
  
-------  
  
Ami looked at the swirling gate before her. "Why are we seperated like this?"  
  
Amaterasu tsked. "Grey's gone on to finish a little job. He's been expelled for failing in the Labor..."  
  
"There was interference! That wasn't a fair test!" Ami faced the goddess with only a little bit of nervousness showing. *Inside* was another story. She was quite aware of the gap in power levels, the gap in experience levels, and that Amaterasu Omikami had changed from wallflower to warrior princess. Someone who could transform her to drifting ash with less effort than raising an eyebrow, likely even if she were Sailor Mercury or Amieow at the moment.   
  
Amaterasu looked stern. "Interference is *part* of the test. Being able to adapt to different situations and developments is necessary in any of the positions he had applied for. Ahem. Now as for his failure - this is just a temporary respite before he goes to recycling."  
  
"Recycling?" Ami wasn't too sure about that.  
  
"Reincarnation," Amaterasu shrugged. "Not bad enough for Hell, not good enough for Heaven. Of course *he* would end up in a grey area. He failed to choose one of you, and none of you chose him. Room 42's gate was used, just projected into the elevator. He's in for a mortal lifetime, but then as soon as he gets done he'll go on."  
  
"Oh," Ami said, still not satisfied.  
  
"As for seperating all of you, each of you are going to different timelines. The Queen, for example, is going to return to the universe of her origin. You, an Ami Mizuno who has never been Sailor Mercury outside a virtual reality, are going to go through that gateway when the light goes on. You'll forget entirely about the penitent Grey and go on to live a normal life, merged with an aspect of yourself that *is* Sailor Mercury. The same with everyone else, we managed to find ways of hooking you directly into a mainline."  
  
"...can't I even say goodbye?!"  
  
Amaterasu shook her head again, still looking quite stern. Even if one corner of her mouth kept twitching. Funny, Ami hadn't thought Amaterasu the sort to develop a facial twitch. "No, if you entered that timeline you'd change and adapt to that world. You'd be stuck with him and whatever changes occurred to you. Besides, there really shouldn't be any retaking of tests. Bad precedent if it were allowed."  
  
"I see," said Ami, not a sufficiently good actress that she could keep a crafty look from briefly appearing. "Uhm, so what kind of reality was he inserted into?"  
  
"Not of your concern," said Amaterasu. "I didn't look other than it was an SM line and a 4xx series, so it's a bizarre variation on the Silver Millenium. It could be one where you'd have ended up being a catgirl, a bunnygirl, an android marionette, or even a pokemon. Fortunately you're not going there, isn't it? Now, if you don't mind, I have other things to do."  
  
"You've split, haven't you?" Ami deduced suddenly from an odd feeling she'd had ever since the goddess had appeared. "You're just an image projected here while you're having conversations with everyone else who took part in the simulation."  
  
"Still have your feline instincts, Amieow?" The sun goddess almost smiled. "Projecting a mirror image is perfectly within my portfolio. Besides, did you know you came out of there with two more people than had gone in? That was supposed to be impossible but there's a lot of chaos in that boy's karma. You're actually a lot less stressed without him. Keep in mind, as a Goddess First Class, I cannot lie."  
  
Ami silently added "directly" as she was already familiar with the concept. She watched Amaterasu's image turn translucent then fade. Then looked at the door behind her then at the swirling gate. Go ahead and accept that things had turned out like they had, and meekly go through that gate. It would be easy and it would be following the local rules, doing what everyone told her to do. She wouldn't get in trouble with any divine authority, she'd be reunited with her friends in this other life, and she'd be reasonably content.  
  
Ami checked the door she'd entered in. Locked, of course. Ami sat down for a moment, deep in thought. She'd seen some of those 400000 lines while waiting for the simulation matrix to finish setting up. SM meant Silver Millenium, *not* (to Usagi's disappointment) Sailor Moon, so that could mean that there were no Senshi or some odd variant, or even that the Silver Millenium had been completely different. Both the genie and catgirl Moon Kingdoms would have been considered SM 4xxx timelines.  
  
The Ami Mizuno she'd seen in various "Sailor Moon" timelines would have considered this a no-brainer. She'd have sat on the bench, waiting to be reunited with Usagi and the others, and a boyfriend would not have been a concern. The Ami Mizuno who had been one of a group of nonSenshi friends who had followed a transformed gold dragon as he accidently conquered China, she would likewise have waited to be rejoined with her friends. The Ami who had grown up with her best friend Grey, only to discover that she was part of NERV's genetically engineered soldiers, would also have not have a had problem deciding - she would have battered down the door by now and gone to "room 42" by now.  
  
------------  
  
Amaterasu reformed. They had all been given the idea. Now that the seed had been planted, it was time to determine *what* would result.   
  
She was beginning to see what Urd found so interesting about this matchmaking stuff.  
  
-----------  
  
"To: Penitent Grey, recently of the Rival Relief Office, Alley of Lingering Smells, Asgard  
From: the Almighty"  
  
Grey got to *that* line and stared. In his more mortal experienceand roles, any time you got the bosses' personal attention it was Bad. It being easier to notice a Screw Up than the opposite, after all. This was not *a* boss. This was *the* capital-B Boss.  
  
The thought of screwing bad enough that it got *His* attention was stressing enough that Grey considered going off into those bushes over there and quietly throwing up. Except that his knees didn't want to cooperate. Not to mention that this was unprecedented. The "Norse runes lightning bolted into the ground" treatment was *never* done for anyone less than a Goddess 2nd Class. Well, hardly ever. Seperation Of Heaven & Earth Clause and His desire not to micromanage anyone.  
  
Another problem was that he had a *lot* of trouble reading Celestial, which was the variation of Norse runes that everyone used in Asgard. He was still mortal, despite the Binding and other events, and nobody really mastered that language without either using a spell or some other aid.  
  
"As an agent of the Celestial Bureaucracy, you gave your word regarding marriage. He just wants to remind you that your word is binding as such an agent.  
Sincerely,  
Frigga, secretary for the Almighty."  
  
Grey sighed a little, relieved. Not nearly so bad as he'd first feared.  
  
Waitaminute? He was still an agent?! That meant that this was NOT his original destination? It *was* a real timeline? But if that was the case, where was his mission briefing?  
  
*crackle* *THOOOM!*  
  
Grey groaned, smouldering again. "Ask and ye shall receive... ouch..."  
  
-------  
  
The Earth that had suffered from plague and war shimmered briefly. Just before it would have been overwritten by a simulation, that simulation had been cancelled.  
  
The simulation itself was broken down into its various parts, which Celeste could then later study and determine what kind of fine-tuning was necessary for better performance. Too many unexpected events had taken place for her to be comfortable with it as it was.  
  
The "Heart Of Darkest Chocolate" was put up for sale, where it remained for a week before being remodeled into a tavern named the "Magni's Meadhall." Other places catering to the sweet tooth were eventually able to pick up the slack.  
  
Rei Ayanami was eventually able to enter a Ranma timeline, oddly enough as a Chinese Amazon.  
  
Others assisted where they could. Some of the other entrants into the simulation had to be placed, having failed to make their choice - thereby making a choice.  
  
------  
  
Grey stretched out, wondering where the rest of it was. His mission would depend on who joined him and would be a mortal lifetime? Who was to meet him?  
  
"Basalt."  
  
Grey turned and saw her standing there, tall and regal in her gown. For a moment he looked hopefully about. Setsuna or Ami?  
  
"Basalt," repeated the Queen. "It is time."  
  
Grey sighed and summoned his "costume" of Basalt/Nebula. His Silver Millenium identity, complete with the Chain. Love had, it appeared, been too much to hope for.  
  
He was not Ranma Saotome, who could forgive and forget betrayal in an instant. It had taken decades to put the pain behind him, but Nebula had eventually forgiven and come to peace with Queen Serenity. In that time, love had died.  
  
Had Jupiter not gone pursuing Narcissus or had merely noticed him at the Ball, she could have reached out her hand and collected a suitor more constant than the General had been. Had Pluto thought to leave a letter or message with other than the Queen herself, she *could* have had a love dedicated to her that would have survived 10,000 years undimmed. Neither had.  
  
Basalt nodded and strode to the Queen's side. At her look, he crooked an arm so that she could take it.   
  
Kingdom always came first, so while there could be affection, Basalt had learned the lesson well that her foremost and most abiding love would always be for her kingdom and her position. No doubt he would be expected to beget another Heir for the Moon Kingdom. Another Heir for the position of Knight of Duty would also be required.  
  
No, there was no love in his heart for the Queen anymore. He simply couldn't summon a false sincerity, so there it was. She had her role. He had his.  
  
He was the Knight of Duty after all, adventures with friends and companions to the side. Basalt, the Marine engineer, the soldier. Nebula the Knight, the Consort, the Queen's Right Hand. He had sought Love and Comfort and a Home of his own. And failed at all three.  
  
Duty was all he had left.  
  
Putting on a false face to return to the Queen's palace and his role as Consort, Basalt, aka Grey, alias Nebula, found himself hoping that at least the Queen would permit him to keep some friends this time around. Perhaps he could even give Pluto a break in her vigil.  
  
Duty.  
  
Well, it was *something* at least. (5)  
  
=======  
  
well, that's it. The end of the Labors and my experiments with doing an SI.  
  
It was interesting seeing the votes. So far the only surviving member of Studio Aesir wanted this pairing, so here it is.  
  
Celeste had requested Setsuna + Grey. i've wondered what she'd think about my characterization of Sailor Pluto...   
  
======  
  
(1) can you picture this? Scary, ain't it?   
  
(2) has anyone else seen Outlaw Star and been struck with the fusion possibility:  
Jim Hawking replaced by Nabiki Tendo  
Gene Starwind = Ranma Saotome  
Melfina = Kasumi Tendo  
Gilliam = Soun Tendo  
Aisha Ctarl-Ctarl = Shampoo  
"Twilight" Suzuka = Kodachi Kuno alt: Ukyo Kuonji  
Fred Luo = Tatewaki Kuno  
The McKenzie Brothers = Ryouga and Mousse  
alternatively have Nabiki be Fred Luo, the McKenzie brothers be the Kunos, and Jim could be played by Ukyo  
  
(3) No, i hadn't forgotten about this.  
  
(4) "Alone Again Naturally" by Gilbert O Sullivan.  
  
(5) That's pretty much the end of Grey, a touch of realism here. Stuck in a relationship that the Silver Crystal couldn't bring love back into (Sorry, Sky, but i just cannot see anything less than significant rewriting of the character by mind control magic ever putting something close to love or trust back in that relationship. At which point he ceases to be anything other than a puppet under the Queen's control.) i was considering having Basalt seperate from Grey, as well as the other parts, and having seperate ends for each, but figured that was too trite. This, however, fits with my life experiences as to likely outcomes.  
  
And now for something more upbeat:   
  
___omake_omake_omake_omake___  
  
"What if someone *else* had fulfilled Genma's role," mused Toltiir.  
  
"With Ares, we saw a capable martial artist who frankly didn't take much crap off anyone," reminded Bast. "Unfortunately, or fortunately if you prefer, he had little in the way of traditional Western morality."  
  
"Yeah, none of this 'don't hit girls' or 'let other people push me around' sort of thing." Ares felt that he'd done a pretty darn good job there. And it had been strangely fulfilling to take on the role of father-sensei. Much better than he'd done with his two real sons.  
  
"I disagree, Genma did a much better job of raising Ranma," argued Fleece. "Look at that Ranma! Anybody who jumps him shouting 'Ranma, prepare to die' is gonna get killed! Heck, if the Nabiki in *that* world tried half the stuff I did with *my* version of Ranma, she'd be lucky if she didn't end up in the hospital!"  
  
Ares considered the idea briefly. "Nah. More likely he'd just contact the local Yakuza and tell them that this little girl was poaching on their territory. Once he did that..."  
  
Fleece flinched at the likely consequences of *that* sort of thing. "You see what I mean? THAT Ranma is going to have even more social problems than the original."  
  
"So. You're saying you could do a better job?" Bast purred as she regarded the Nabiki Tendo that had dared to cross path with the gods, and had ended up becoming a minor goddess herself due to the whims of Toltiir. There were times when Fleece was in serious danger of being demoted as per Titania's suggestion - to tooth fairy.  
  
Nabiki *almost* said "Yeah, right." The grins around her were enough clue. "NO! NO WAY! I am *NOT* going to play the part of Genma Saotome!"  
  
"Spoilsport," said Ares. "Put your money where your mouth is."  
  
"Well, who do *you* think would do a better job of being Genma?" Toltiir blinked at the girl, yellow eyes gleaming. "Keeping in mind the following points typical of Ranma timelines:  
a) Ranma must be a highly ranked martial artist, it may not be his only focus, but it's got to be in there.  
b) His orbit must intersect the Tendos. He may not end up engaged to any of 'em. Maybe neither group knows about the arrangement, but they'll at least meet. The test point is Ranma meeting them, and how different it is from the original.  
c) The person who does the raising has to spend at least ten years subjective in the simulation."  
  
"This ain't another Bet, is it, Toltiir?" Bast glared at the cat.  
  
"Heaven forbid, no. Just a possibility of related omake." The cat waved a paw.  
  
"Well, in that case," suggested Nabiki with her own catty expression.  
  
Almost everyone traced her gaze to the side where a visitor had been preoccupied with other concerns. More smiles.  
  
The old man looked up.  
  
----------  
  
"He'll be here any moment," said Soun, smiling at the prospect of joining the two families. Though the calligraphy was much more neat and precise than he'd expect from Genma. The wording had been odd too. "Tendo- I will be bringing Ranma on Mar-11. We shall discuss the engagement then. -S"  
  
"So is he cute?" Nabiki asked, not quite as mercenary as she would later become. In an unaltered timeline, that is.  
  
"How old is he. Younger men bore me," said Kasumi, not quite as oblivious as she would later become. Were everything to remain normal, of course.  
  
"Hmmmph, boys," Akane grumbled. Boy=pervert=target. Math wasn't her best subject but some things were obvious. The entire gender could be deleted from existence or chained into dungeons and she'd be a lot happier. She hated boys. She loathed boys. Boys had ignored her most of her life, and then suddenly she couldn't literally beat them off. Boys were beyond icky.  
  
There came a knocking at the door as if someone had not gotten into a fight on the way to the dojo.  
  
"That must be Ranma!" Nabiki hoped for cute. Rich would be even better. Cute and rich? Too much to hope for. But she would certainly settle for cute.  
  
"I do hope he's older," sighed Kasumi.  
  
"ACK!" Soun made a warding sign. There was no paunchy Genma present, just Nabiki (who had somehow got out the door before him) eyeing a tall and broadshouldered young man. That wasn't the ack part. An old man, still standing straight and proud, was eyeing him as if judging him on his entire life experience and deciding that he was just barely worth continued existence.  
  
"Oh my," Kasumi looked over the boy. Tall, strong, lithely muscled, immaculately dressed in a nice dress shirt, slacks, and boots of some kind. Very nice if a bit Westernized in appearance.  
  
"hmmmmph," hmmmphed Akane, then turned around and walked back into the house. Okay, the boy was fairly good looking. THAT didn't mean anything.  
  
"Genma couldn't make it," said the old man. "May we come in?"  
  
--------  
  
"So Genma died and you took over his training," Soun said, nodding.  
  
"Yes, he fell into a pit of starving cats. Terrible tragic story." The old man didn't look as if he thought it was terribly tragic. "So we've been wandering back and forth, hither and yon."  
  
"Yes, well, these are my three daughters," Soun said, indicating each girl and her age, then turning back to Ranma, "pick any one you like. She'll be your new fiancee."  
  
"Geez, they're not bagels, Mister Tendo. Pick one? None of them seem interested. Besides there are other more pressing concerns."  
  
"AH?! It's a matter of family honor." Soun glanced over the three. "Akane is a martial artist, she'll be your fiancee."  
  
"Oh my," said Kasumi, who was too old and housewifeish to be chosen. And was regretting it. Ranma was polite and had a cute... he was nice.   
  
"WHAT?!" Nabiki and Akane reacted with entirely different reasons.  
  
"You see?" Ranma gave a helpless shrug. A beeping from a pocket caused him to consult a pager. "Ooops. Gotta go. Old man, you handle this?"  
  
The old man nodded.   
  
"But but but but but...?!" Soun was going into shock. If only Genma were here to back him up!  
  
Nabiki, Kasumi, and Akane blinked. Ranma had gotten lost by going off into their backyard. Their reactions were quite different. Nabiki was intrigued by the boy's butt... err purposeful stride. Akane was wondering what the pervert was up to. Kasumi wanted to make sure there were no hard feelings, sometimes her father made a rather poor first impression.  
  
Ranma ducked around the side of the dojo. This really got the three curious, as there was nothing back there. As one they approached from a different angle. Yes, there was that fiance. He was standing still, looking heavenwards, and his mouth opened as he said a single word.  
  
"SHAZAM!"  
  
*BOOOM!* Thunder answered.  
  
Nabiki had just realized that she'd leapt up and was being held by Kasumi as all three sets of eyes watched a major hunk fly up and away in a high speed blur.  
  
"That was *Captain Marvel*..." Nabiki said to Kasumi.  
  
"Oh my, oh dear," said Kasumi who had little hearts floating in her eyes. Not a boy at all. Oh heavens no. There had been a nobility and maturity in the Captain that just did not fit any of the categories she placed younger boys in. Nope.  
  
Akane stood where Ranma had stood, took an identical pose, and tried something. "Shatsamu. Shatsam! Sha- tsa - mu! Damnit, why won't it work for me?"  
  
Kasumi let Nabiki go, her arms were getting heavy anyway, and considered. Captain Marvel seemed very mature. Perhaps she should speak up.  
  
Nabiki thought about this. Let anyone know she knew who Captain Marvel was? Oh yeah, duh! The moment she even advertised something like that, she'd be kidnapped by supervillains and tortured for the information. She was allergic to being tortured. Not to mention she'd be alienating someone who could wrestle Godzilla and any friends he happened to have!  
  
Akane sulked. If some stupid boy could transform into Captain Marvel, why couldn't she? Twenty years ago there had been a Mary Marvel, there was a girl named Aoi Marvel who'd briefly appeared in Osaka, so why not Akane Marvel? She was noble and worthy and nobody could say she wasn't a great fighter! Dang it.  
  
Three girls found their father alone, crying to the extent that there was going to be no answers from that quarter.  
  
Nabiki mused. Captain Marvel made headlines. When he was in China recently, he made headlines. All she had to do was wait for him to start appearing in a particular area, then track him down. She was sure that she could make a good press manager.  
  
Kasumi thought. It seemed to her that if the Captain was off saving Japan or the world, he'd need someone to cook and clean and maintain a home. Well, what an amazing coincidence that she currently had no suitors or prospects. Look for where the trouble is, he'd be nearby, then she could grab him and make mad passionate... uhm apply for a job and get to know him.  
  
Akane glowered. She'd catch that boy and make him tell her the secrets of whatever martial arts technique he'd used to transform! Then she could go assist the Senshi!  
  
Soun wailed. Prior engagements?! "Waaaaaaaaa!"  
  
-------  
  
Ranma sped across town so quickly that he was just a blur, and smiled. THIS was living. Everything that was so confusing was suddenly clear, the world was his rice bowl, he felt a thousand times more alive than as plain old Ranma Saotome.  
  
One didn't need the Wisdom of Solomon to see the dangers in staying as Captain Marvel for too long. Black Adam was still around, somewhere, a wonderful advertisement of how power could corrupt. Then there was that mysterious Juggernaut who had appeared in China. Someone who could hurt *him*. But here was the thing that had drawn him.   
  
Captain Marvel came to a halt to observe the battle before he weighed in. It looked like he should do something...  
  
Now.  
  
------  
  
Usagi shrieked like a little girl (which she was actually - being fifteen years old) as the big yoma prepared to bring that gleaming claw down and reduce her to the consistency of fish paste. Her Moon Rod had been knocked out of reach and the others had been scattered about with a few swipes.   
  
"SAILOR MOON!" Several young girls cried as they watched what was about to be a gruesome scene.  
  
Tuxedo Kamen prepared to throw a rose despite that the past three had bounced off the armor plating on the creature.  
  
"Excuse me, may I cut in?"  
  
Everyone blinked. Some guy had popped out of nowhere, and was lifting the yoma up into the air by a grip on its outstretched paw.  
  
Tuxedo Kamen dropped the rose, feeling completely inadequate.  
  
The yoma roared and tried to swing at the caped man holding it.  
  
"Shall we dance?" The man threw the yoma straight up, giving the crowd a good look at the chest emblem of a stylized lightning bolt.  
  
"CAPTAIN MARVEL?!" Venus, Mars, Mercury, Moon, and Tuxedo Mask exclaimed.  
  
"My new sempai..." Sailor Jupiter said dreamily.  
  
The yoma came down, Captain Marvel stopped its progress with an uppercut. The yoma disintegrated.  
  
"Well, Sailor Senshi," said Captain Marvel, floating slightly above head level. "I've wanted to make your acquaintance. Shall we arrange a meeting to discuss pooling our resources?"  
  
Seeing that Mars was too starstruck, Venus was drooling, and Jupiter was repeating something about a sempai every so often, Mercury quickly set up a meeting for after school the next day on the roof of her mother's hospital. (Which had the benefits of being remote and accessible.)  
  
There was a group sigh as the Captain flew away.  
  
"I don't trust him," said Luna as soon as the fellow was out of earshot. "He wasn't present in the Moon Kingdom after all, and... why is everyone looking at me like that? HEY! LET ME OUT OF THIS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! USAGI!"  
  
"Where'd you get a mailing box anyway," Venus asked Mercury.  
  
"Oh dear, ha ha, I just happened to have one handy," Mercury said, blushing furiously. After all, the Captain was said to be quite intellectual, and well, Ryo hadn't been around for over a year, and well...  
  
Venus smirked. She knew one way to make sure he was considered part of the group. And if Sailor Venus had to drag the stud off by his cape, she was gonna make sure he knew she was willing to be his... friend. Or something like that.  
  
Jupiter was already gone. She had to make sure she had plenty of cookies baked so she could bring them along and introduce herself to her new sempai!  
  
Mars wanted to check the sacred fire and see if Shinto priestesses and Divinely empowered superheroes were a good match. She was sure they were, but maybe a horoscope would be good too.  
  
Tuxedo Mask waved his hand in front of Usagi's face and sighed. Well, at least he knew that he'd end up with Usagi. And maybe the Captain could deflect some of the looks that had been heading his way lately from the other Senshi.  
  
"LET ME OUT OF HERE!" Luna called from inside the box marked "To: somewhere far far away".  
  
"You weren't going to really mail that were you?" Venus turned to find Mercury running off. Wait a minute! She had to get things ready for meeting her new boyfriend tomorrow!  
  
Tuxedo Kamen became Mamoru and picked up the boxed kitty. Looked like their current adventure had gotten more complicated.  
  
============  
  



	26. Optional Epilogues

EPILOGUE (Chapter 26) A Soldier's Duty  
  
"Life shared among people who love each other is the ideal of happiness."- George Sand  
  
"Duty, by itself, is not enough to sustain us." -Basalt  
  
----  
  
"Real" Epilogue:  
  
Basalt sat at the bar with Artemis. If one looked at a similar scene Silver Millenium and this one in a new millenium forged by an elven swashbuckler, many things were similar - almost identical in fact.  
  
"Luna's acting up again?"  
  
"She can be *so* uptight," said Artemis while licking a last little bit of cream off. Then Artemis fully considered his companion. He'd seen Basalt after Queen Serenity had dismissed him the first time. He looked less haggard but more depressed somehow. "So how are you and the Queen Mother..."  
  
"I just can't do it..."  
  
Artemis blinked. "Huh? Have you considered medication? They've got... never mind."  
  
Basalt kept the glare up for a few minutes. "Not THAT. Fortunately I haven't had to put THAT to the test. She wants everything to go back to how it was. I... can't. I just don't think I'm capable of loving her, of loving ANYONE like that again."  
  
Artemis sniffed. "Waitaminute. You don't drink."  
  
"Didn't. Started when I got back." Basalt sipped at his drink. "It doesn't seem to help. Let me tell you what she tried last night."  
  
Artemis listened for a few moments. "Feather dusters? And jello? This is Queen 'Dignity Is Job One' Serenity we're talking about, right?"  
  
"She's trying. I'm not sure where she got the idea that I even *like* getting tickled," Basalt's voice turned curious for a moment, "much less having my shirt slimed. But I just... can't feel anything more than a distant echo of what I once did."  
  
Artemis lapped up a little more cream while he thought. "Well, I kinda noticed the way you looked at some of the Senshi. Especially Pluto and Mercury."  
  
"I'm happy for them, they've found someone to love who loves them back. The whole group marriage thing is kinda strange, but if *they're* ok with it..." Basalt shrugged again. "And it's not like me and Pluto or Jupiter ever had anything going. That was in *other* universes. Or Ami..."  
  
The white mooncat looked at his old drinking buddy with some concern. The most he'd ever seen the Knight drink was a roasted tea.  
  
Basalt slugged a small glass back then let out a deep breath. "I've got to go, Artie."  
  
Artemis knew immediately what Basalt was talking about. "Give it a few more years, it's only been a few months."  
  
"Not fair to Sera. Not fair to anyone else. And frankly, I don't need this. Name one thing I can actually contribute to this kingdom that someone else, if nothing else Bennu, can't do better."  
  
Artemis opened his mouth to speak, then tried to come up with something. "Uhm... well."  
  
"Not a damn thing, is there?" Basalt sighed. "I ran across Obsidian. You want to come too, Artie?"  
  
"But Luna?! And Diana! I mean."  
  
The Knight Of Duty chuckled for a moment. "Fine. I did some predictions and checking. Did you know that two of the menaces Sailor Moon faced originated from the regions near Tau Ceti? Death Phantom came from Nemesis, but before that the dark crystal came from Tau Ceti. Pharoah 90? Tau Ceti."  
  
"So you two are going to Tau Ceti to do some reconn?" Artemis deduced. "What about your duties as Knights?"  
  
"Obsidian saw that there was no need in this new court for an axe-wielding barbarian Knight Of Fear. He relinquished the post. Here."  
  
Artemis stared at the dull gray chain laid beside his bowl. "What?!"  
  
"I've been the Knight Of Duty long enough. It's a new age, a new millenium, a new kingdom. Best to find new Knights." Basalt looked up at the ceiling while he rested his chin on his hands. "You remember some of my old friends in the Marines? Graphite called me the 'Queen's sparrowhawk' - after the small hawk that ladies fly when they practice falconry. He meant that I was the Queen's hawk, whom she flew out to spot enemies. Well, I can do one last duty as the Queen Mother's kestral. This new kingdom needs a space marine engineer about as much as it does an old wolf barbarian."  
  
"Serenity will be quite upset."  
  
"Will she be any less upset to find her efforts to break into my heart have found only an empty room? No. Before you ask, I have timestamped a message to Bennu. We will be well underway by the time he gets it." Basalt shrugged and carefully put the shot glass on the table, upside down. "A flash communicator has been bespelled, when we find what we shall find, a message will be sent."  
  
Artemis looked over his old friend then shook his head. "You don't expect to come back, do you?"  
  
"If the evil *is* there, then it is best we not survive. There are steps that can be taken to make sure we're not possessed. If the evil is *not* there, then we will go on to the next site. We'll signal when we find it or find such allies as may be out there."  
  
The cream didn't look nearly so inviting. "When?"  
  
"Now," said Basalt, unsteadily getting up. "I wanted to give you a chance to go, the Chain if you chose to stay. Be well, Artemis, and give my best to Luna."  
  
Artemis watched Basalt stagger off, knowing that this was the last time he'd see his old friend again. They were supposed to, as Lunarians, have a lifespan of a thousand years or more. Basalt looked very very old.  
  
And there was one other thing that crossed Artemis' mind as Basalt left:  
  
Luna was *not* going to be happy with this news.  
  
-----  
  
Basalt held the sphere in one hand and grinned at the host of demonic beings. Obsidian stood nearby.  
  
"Outnumbered 10,000 to 1. Power level exceeds ours by a factor of three each. i've lost a lot of blood, one leg's broken, and i think three ribs were cracked in that last assault." Basalt said this companionably to Obsidian in a tone as if discussing the weather.  
  
"Yeah, but we found the menace and sent the message." Obsidian struck a cigarette, knowing his companion wouldn't object for once. "One thing left. You made that damn thing all the trip out here. Let's do it."  
  
Basalt smiled. They were both fulfilling their offices, even retired as they had done. Obsidian would cause Fear to the kingdom's enemies, while Basalt would serve Duty.  
  
A containment field around an ostrich egg sized piece of antimatter cut out as a trigger was depressed. Basalt smiled in the brief moment before the substance within the case reacted to the case itself. There was a time when the burdens of life grew too great. In which case the only thing to do was hope for a better chance. Next time.  
  
--------  
  
The scales settled. A death here, a birth there.   
  
--------  
  
"Meowth, that's right!"  
  
"A talking Meowth?" Ami momentarily overcame her fear of the thieves in order to speculate about this. "How intriguing."  
  
"Never mind that," growled the Meowth. "You're the bigshot genius girl who won that big contest. So fork over da prize money and ya won't get hurt."  
  
Ami felt the tree behind her and knew she was in serious trouble. "But the prize in the Interschool Math Finals was a scholarship. It wasn't money."  
  
"No money," James whimpered. "But I'm so hungry!"  
  
"I've got an idea," said Jessie with a smirk. "This little girl's mother is a Doctor, who will pay considerable for the return of her precious daughter."  
  
"And we can swipe all her pokemon! If she's rich she's got to have a few rare pokemon we can sells to da boss!"  
  
"We don't *have* any pokemon," said Ami. "My mother's a pediatrician who works at the hospital, we don't have *that* much money."  
  
"Arbok, Wrap attack," ordered Jessie, "we'll get the money AND pokemon from her mother."  
  
"Eeeee!" *WHAM!*  
  
Arbok went down as something small and fuzzy bounced off his head.  
  
"I'll bet it's those twerps again," growled Meowth. "I oughta... HEY! It's just some Eevee!"  
  
"Ooo! That'll be a good catch for the boss," James realized.   
  
"Eeeee! Eeeveeee!"  
  
Meowth laughed. "You don't know why you're doing this, but you ain't gonna let us hurt this girl? That's real amusing. Now just surrender and we'll take her hostage and give *you* to da boss!"  
  
"VEEE VEEE!" One foot nothing, fourteen pounds, of bristling fur declined the generous offer.  
  
"Wheezing, Sludge attack!"   
  
-------  
  
Ami held the poor creature in her lap, stroking its fur. She didn't understand this. Some wild pokemon had come rushing to her aid, despite how badly it had been outgunned.  
  
"Veee," the injured pokemon said, looking up at her.  
  
The blue haired Junior High School student considered the injured animal as she stroked its silky fur in the late evening sun. "Why?"  
  
"Eeee. Eveeee." The animal went back to resting, panting slightly from either nervousness or pain.  
  
Ami wondered if she'd ever see her mother again. "Well, if we ever get out of here, maybe I *should* have a pokemon."  
  
"Eeeee?"   
  
Ami surprised herself, kissing the little furry on the bridge of the nose. "Don't go dying on me, I don't have any friends and... What?!"  
  
The Eevee glowed and seemed to double in mass and size. "Espeon!"  
  
"Well, that was impressive," said Ami. "So, do you want to be my pokemon?"  
  
"Espeon, espe," said the silvery creature with a nod. It glared at the lock of the cage, which abruptly clicked.  
  
Ami checked the door, found it unlocked and began to sneak out.  
  
"Espe?"  
  
Ami turned back to the panting and tired looking creature, then knelt and held out her hands. "Shall we go?"  
  
"Espeon," said the creature as it gladly scrambled into her hands and up to her shoulder.  
  
"So what should I call you?" Ami asked the creature as they snuck past the sleeping members of Team Rocket. "Michelle?"  
  
"Pfeh," said the Espeon, sticking out its tongue.  
  
"I guess not. What are you, anyway?"  
  
"Espeon," said the newly evolved Espeon.  
  
"Oh. An Espeon. Sorry, I'm not familiar with pokemon, I've spent all my life studying to be a doctor." Ami tried to look at her companion. "How about a name like 'Reckless' or maybe 'Diana'."  
  
"Ick," managed the Espeon, ears going flat.  
  
Now that they were away from the compound, Ami looked over her new friend. "Oh, you're a boy, aren't you?"  
  
"Espe!"  
  
"What about..." Ami looked at the fur. "How about 'Grey'?"  
  
"Espeon! Espeon!" The fox-squirrel declared. (That's at least a lot better than Michelle.)  
  
"Grey it is then," Ami declared. She hoped her mother would let her keep him. And that this wouldn't detract from her studies.  
  
The pokemon just kept up his psychic attack on Team Rocket, keeping them deep asleep. He wasn't sure what this connection he felt for this human was. But maybe, just maybe, it was time to give up living wild and free.   
  
Though *why* did this girl seem familiar anyway? And why did he feel... happy?  
  
============  
  
The following were created for people who weren't satisfied with Basalt ending in this manner. Each of the "Shards" could end differently, after all.  
  
ALT EPILOGUE #1  
  
Grey watched the Basalt part of himself vanish with Queen Serenity.  
  
This was it, he guessed. After a few moments, the image of Kestral appeared. The superhero from a world of costumed Champions gave him a wink and a thumb's up before vanishing. Returned to his home timeline, no doubt.  
  
Then others that he'd been briefly. Artemis Gray, the Rebellion pilot. A pokemon trainer. Others who were gone too quickly to classify.  
  
Frostbite/Grey closed his eyes, waiting for the final wisps of him to dissolve.  
  
"How long are you going to stand like that, Grey-chan?"  
  
(BLINK BLINK) Grey looked at the concerned face a few inches from his own. "Hah?!" he managed intelligently.  
  
"You're still a dragon, you know," said the drow samurai, slapping him in the chest with a folder. "And we've still got a mission."  
  
"We?"  
  
Kitty Honey cleared her throat, drawing attention away from the samurai girl. "Really, what was with that promise?"  
  
"Hah?!" Grey managed again.  
  
"Grey-san, Grey-san, Grey-san," said Amieow, shaking her head.   
  
"Looks like an orchunt," suggested Silkshadow, looking an awful lot like some reversed image of Sakura Shinguchi.   
  
Grey fumbled with the folder, thinking that it was a lot safer to focus on.  
  
[Hear Ye All Heroes & Adventurers]  
[The area known as the Stonelands]  
[Hath become like a den of orcs]  
[An other unsavory types. Zhents]  
[do also gather. Therefore if one]  
[should clear the Stonelands of]  
[such foul influence and build ye]  
[a castle to protect it, We shall]  
[grant a title to those lands, to]  
[hold in the name of our nation a]  
[hereditary title of Baron. The]  
[same offer as was made by mine]  
[late father.....................]  
[Alusair Obarskyr, Regent- Cormyr]  
  
He looked from the parchment to the small crowd, then back. It was true, he realized. He was still, by decisions made previously, an Aramarian silver dragon primarily. He had come under those Rules, and they didn't let go that easily.  
  
Setsuna stood up raising her Power Key Staff. "Well, shall we go?"  
  
"A noble cause, and frankly those human supremicists in Cormyr could use a little shaking up too," suggested Silkshadow.  
  
"Nyaow?" Amieow asked, blinking and smiling.  
  
Grey put the paper back in the folder, reached within and willed the change. His form blurring to a fifty foot long creature with silvery scales and long leathern wings. "i think... it needs to be done." And Grey realized another joke had been played. A mortal lifetime for a dragon could be over 1000 years, and an Aramarian dragon might double that.  
  
---------  
  
Kthom had been a sentinel at Orcsgate Keep since they'd slaughtered the humans and taken it over. Now the old veteran suppressed a yawn. It wasn't like anyone was dumb enough to challenge their control of the place. Eh? A shadow?  
  
Kthom looked up and felt his heart leap in his throat. "DRAGON! A DRAGON! GET THOSE SIEGE ENGINES READY!"  
  
----------  
  
Grey smiled. A human keep that was currently in disrepair, having fallen into orc hands some time ago.  
  
Magic built within his middle and then was expelled in a stream of frost as he swooped over the battlements. A few arrows managed to tap against his hide without penetrating before he was past the walls and circling up. "Everyone okay?"  
  
"Hai, sempai!" "Rrrrready!" "Silk leapt off!"  
  
Eyes that could pick out a rabbit in brush from a half mile away examined the keep. Silkshadow seemed to be mowing through the scattered orcs like an automated threshing machine. "She's fine. Everyone ready to give her a hand on the next pass?"  
  
"Haiiiiiiiii," yelped Hotaru as he dove again, dodging incoming ballista bolts as he did so.  
  
Those manning the siege equipment were obviously having a hard time too. They were used to anything that big being a clumsy flier. He was an *Aramarian* silver dragon, however, and could shunt some magical energies from his breath weapon (unusable now anyway due to Silkshadow and Setsuna being *within* the keep) to manueverability.  
  
"Forget the transformation pens and cutesy attacks. It's a life and death struggle of good versus evil. I want a Venus High Caliber Cannon," grumbled Mineko as she leapt to the attack.   
  
"Honey FLASH!"  
  
Grey smiled toothily as he finished his pass, then circled around to land outside the Keep. He could count on the girls to rip apart the siege equipment, which left him available for clerical spells and support. As well as to ponder one basic truth of existence.  
  
It was GOOD to be the dragon.  
  
=============  
  
EPILOGUE #2:  
  
Grey sat upon the hillside and waited, eyes closed and feeling the sun upon his face.  
  
"Is this seat taken?"  
  
The former Knight Of Duty opened his eyes, and smiled when he saw the girl standing there. "Not that I know of."  
  
"Ah," said Setsuna, taking a seat and just relaxing for a few moments.  
  
Grey's eyes flicked to the tail twitching from the back of dress. "Uhm..."  
  
"Setsuna Meow," said the Catgirl of Time. "Of course, I can banish this and revert to Ifurita Pluto at any time. Things apparently got a little mixed up."  
  
"Sorry," began Grey.  
  
"Don't be," Setsuna covered his lips with one finger to stop him. Feeling the claw at that fingertip was sufficient warning. "I spent 10,000 years on a thankless job guarding the Gate Of Time. I have entirely new burdens and freedoms as a result of knowing you."  
  
"Oh," said Grey, not sure of what to say. "Uhm, so you're here because..."  
  
"Grey? There are burdens and duties one chooses to bear, and therefore can bear them easier. Particularly if you are not alone." Setsuna Meow's ears briefly flicked. "I choose you."  
  
"Oh, well, in that case. There's only one thing to do," Grey said, smiling back.  
  
The girl whose name was "moment of the meow" considered for a moment. "What would that be?"  
  
Grey had noticed a black cat sunning himself on a rock nearby. Toltiir was *not* evil, after all, just prone to humor. So give the cat his due. "Cue music."  
  
Setsuna nearly leapt into the air, claws accidently ripping through her shoes in startlement as music suddenly began filling the air and Grey pulled a microphone out of nowhere.   
  
"I thought love was only true in fairy tales   
Meant for someone else but not for me   
Ah, love was out to get to me   
That's the way it seemed   
Disappointment haunted all my dreams."  
  
Setsuna stared at the background singers popping up from behind rocks. How had she been followed?!  
  
"Then I saw her face   
Now I'm a believer   
Not a trace   
Of doubt in my mind   
I'm in love."  
  
THAT word caused Setsuna to fall over and begin twitching.  
  
"I'm a believer   
I couldn't leave her if I tried"  
  
"And you better NOT try," grumbled Setsuna, flicking the claws of one hand in and out.  
  
"I thought love was more or less a givin' thing   
Seemed the more I gave the less I got   
What's the use in tryin'   
All you get is pain   
When I needed sunshine I got rain."  
  
Setsuna nodded. The lyrics seemed tailor made for this situation.  
  
"Then I saw her face   
Now I'm a believer   
Not a trace   
Of doubt in my mind   
I'm in love...  
I'm a believer,  
I couldn't leave her if I tried."  
  
Setsuna had had enough, and reached out to cover his mouth so she could take over the song. She had her *own* share of loneliness and pain.  
  
"Ah, love was out to get to me   
Now, that's the way it seemed   
Disappointment haunted all my dreams   
Yes, I saw his face   
Now I'm a believer   
There's not a tra-a-a-ace   
Of doubt in my mind   
Well, I'm a believer   
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ah-uh-uh."  
  
Toltiir merely watched the antics of the two briefly with a smile. The others would catch up eventually. Honey and Nuku and Phobos and Deimos not having any real desire to rejoin their original timelines and knowing the boy was going on one last big adventure. Rei and Asuka both desperate to go into ANY timeline but their own. Rei Ayanami he'd split into two, just so a promise could be kept.   
  
And, in the end, Grey had chosen. He had chosen someone who would choose him back, which was important from his point of view.  
  
"Well, I'm a believer..."  
  
What could Toltiir say? He was a sucker for a happy ending.  
  
===========  
  
EPILOGUE #3  
  
Kitty Honey came to a halt as Grey came into sight. She'd added the Nekomusume form, which had increased strength, speed, and enhanced senses. Not to mention making huge leaps and having a really high stealth factor. She'd also added a Sailor Honey form which had the costume and possibly magical attacks, and a cyborg-soldier form, and a gold dragon form, so she hadn't exactly been wasting time.  
  
"Honey Flash!"  
  
Returning to her basic Honey form had been surprising afer Hephaestus' upgrade. She was technically a fully functional bio borg in that form. Her redheaded warrior had also been upgraded, to a partial construction borg.   
  
"Grey-chan, time for your mission briefing," said Honey as she approached the startled boy. "I picked it up on the way."  
  
"Hah?"  
  
Honey flipped through the folder briefly. "Looks like we've got a long term mission in this timeline... Could take years. Decades, even."  
  
"Really? What kind of timeline? What kind of job?"  
  
"Raising children," joked Honey.  
  
*THUD!*  
  
"Joking! I was joking!" Honey addressed the fainted boy lying on the ground. "Oh bother. Better get that out of your system though."  
  
---------  
  
The bell attached to the door jingled merrily.  
  
"Good afternoon, miss. A cup of 'Hubei silver tip'?"  
  
The older of the three girls bowed politely. "Sorry, it just started raining so we... 'Hubei Silver Tip'?" She was on a very tight budget, and an expensive tea wasn't on it. Though she loved tea, it was something her mother had loved and she had shared that love with Kasumi before her death.  
  
"Come in, Tendo-san," the woman said. "That's a cold rain and you're wet. Some hot tea would help you avoid catching cold."  
  
"Uhm..." The fourteen year old began to look nervous. She was pretty sure she hadn't been here before.  
  
"Don't be concerned, Tendo-san, we do fortunes here. We sell curios and magic and train heroes. It *is* that sort of shop after all." The woman behind the counter smiled at the three young girls. "And if we were any good at doing fortunes, we'd know our customers, ne?"  
  
Nabiki looked over the curio shop while Kasumi continued to look concerned and Akane looked thoughtful. "Fortunes?"  
  
Akane mumbled something about training heroes.  
  
"Yes, Tendo-san. My name is Honey, by the way. It's only fair you should know my name," the blonde woman said with a wink. "Oh, and since you're low on cash, we happen to need some part time help. Maybe an hour on weekends?"  
  
Kasumi was really getting flustered. Her mother had shared a cup of the Hubei once. The dojo could use a source of income. Two definite incentives to sit down. Yet there was a certain nervousness inherent in the situation.  
  
"Could you tell *my* fortune?" Nabiki said slyly. "Money back guarantee?"  
  
"You only have 247 yen on you, Nabiki Tendo, what do you want to know?"  
  
Nabiki stopped cold. Knowing their names might have been a clever set up. Knowing exactly how much money she had was not likely to fall into that category. "Uhm," she began.  
  
"Training heroes?" The ten year old looked both a little scared and a little determined.   
  
"Yes, Akane Tendo. Heroes." Honey bowed slightly. "Honey... FLASH!"  
  
"...that's kinda ecchi..." Akane noted.   
  
"Magical girl transformations often are," said Sailor Honey.  
  
"Uhm..." Kasumi *really* was unsure about this now. "Akane, Nabiki, I think we ought to leave."  
  
Honey sighed as the three left. "I didn't handle that at all well, did I?"  
  
Grey came out of the back room with a tea tray. "Hey, just because we work for the Heavens doesn't mean anyone should expect us to be perfect. Besides, i think we'll probably see Nabiki again. Her curiosity's been engaged."  
  
Thinking back to the various gods and goddesses she'd met, Honey nodded. "So, do we wait for Nabiki?"  
  
"Nah," Grey said, laying out a quick pattern of cards. "We've got a few years before Usagi shows up, Ukyo Kuonji will wander in on her vengeance quest Wednesday, Ryoga's two months from now (providing he doesn't get lost so badly he doesn't confuse my prediction spells) and Makoto's next week. There's also four vengeance quests and family feuds to defuse, but those are also next week. Tomorrow's when Ranma shows up... See! Nabiki shows up in three months, on a Thursday after school."  
  
Honey nodded, then got her own crafty expression. "So you're saying we have the rest of the afternoon?"  
  
Puzzled, Grey set out another three cards. "Yeah, oddly enough. Doesn't look like we get anyone else until we get an attempted shoplifting tomorrow morning at six. She gets one of the cursed puzzle boxes, but that's what we've got them for, after all."  
  
Honey rubbed her hands. "Well then, I think we've got some time to get all hot and sweaty."  
  
Grey winced. "Sword practice again?"  
  
Honey's grin was enough indication.  
  
"Oh dear."  
  
=========  
  
Epilogue #4  
  
Grey found the deck of a starship fading in around him. He'd been on a few, mainly in the Star Wars universe but some others as well, and so knew what to look for. There were differences between a starship, a sealed Post-Holocaust habitat, and a submarine. All had similarities too.  
  
Electronic touch panels could be found in a starship or a habitat, but were *not* found in passageways aboard submarines. Habitats in a post holocaust era tended to look fairly ratty after a short amount of time, and accumulated dust. Therefore, tentatively at least, a starship.  
  
Passageway, doorway, and access controls were all examined. Grey determined that whatever the normal size ratio, he was of slightly greater than normal height. He was massive as well, though lean.   
  
His eyes flicked through several spectrums, and he smelled the air. Typical starship protocol would have minimized anything with a strong smell, as the air inside a starship didn't get to circulate that often. So, people's scents meant an increased olfactory ability, plus being able to see heat patterns and the faint ultraviolet sheen from the lights meant something.  
  
He was no longer a dragon, and was now back to being a cyborg of sorts. He "looked" organic, but the color was slightly off.  
  
Energy briefly crackled around one hand as he concentrated. Not Kestral, he couldn't "read" the energy flows and patterns.  
  
The door opened onto some spartan quarters. A bunk bed that quite obviously hadn't ever been used.  
  
Instead a square of thin blanket. Though there was something he *was* looking for. A little square box with a tree image. Picking the box up, Grey activated it.  
  
"Mission briefing," began the box. "You are currently Greylle, one of seven elite bio-androids developed by the Tao Pirates as 'ultimate weapons' for use against their rival pirate 'kingdoms' in an experiment that developed genetic material from the ruins on planet Dragon's moon, Ctarl-Ctarl DNA, as well as more traditional sources."  
  
"Interrupt," instructed Grey. "Clarify this is an OS/LU style universe?" Meaning one that followed the basics of either Outlaw Star or Lost Universe.  
  
"Correct. Continuing. Each of the Seven Weapons was developed to have elemental properties by the Tao Mages and Wizards. Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Holy, Darkness, Wood. Unit Greylle is Holy. Unit Greylle rebelled when used as a weapon to attack small freighter. After boarding ship and being told to slay captain/operator, Greylle refused and returned to vessel of origination. Resulting battle destroyed pirate ship 'Moving Violation' and Unit Greylle was rescued by operator of freighter and reactivated. Unit Greylle has currently imprinted on captain/pilot of freighter as Master."  
  
"Oh dear," said Greylle. Of course, with a name like that. "So I'm the 'Holy Weapon' of the seven? What's this 'Master' like?"  
  
"Correct. Captain of this vessel, the 'Lookfar' displaying image."  
  
Greylle smiled. "Ami? Okay. This *might* be interesting."  
  
And it proved to be so when the archaeologist-turned-trader Ami met up with the Ctarl-Ctarl orphan Hotaru and the twin assassins Fear and Terror. Especially with pirates out to recapture their Weapon and ending up with two more defecting to the Lookfar's crew. Not to mention a figure from Ami's past trying to catch up with her, a Quest for a lost shipment of Dragonite, and an interstellar slaver after some of Ami's old friends AND Hotaru.  
  
All of which complicated the relationship blooming between the cute archaeologist and the Weapon who had decided he wouldn't kill her.  
  
But that is a completely different story.  
  
========  
  
Epilogue #5  
  
The Aspects had peeled away from him, one by one. Except one. This was concerning.  
  
When the scene of his destination faded in, he looked around for either a manila folder or an Yggdrasil datacube. Neither. Which meant figuring it out on his own.  
  
Walking carefully to a street sign, he wrapped his fingers around the post and casually crushed it. Frowning, he walked to a shop window.  
  
His skin was a little "plastic looking" and his eyes were solid blue-green. One more test.  
  
Fifteen seconds later he stopped in geosynchronous orbit at an altitude of 22,500 miles. There just wasn't any point in going further. Grey dropped down a bit slower than he'd gone up. He had a lot to think about.  
  
He was Kestral in this new timeline. His first Champions character. A character who had been rewritten four times, each being referred to as a "stage" - once as a beginning 180pt character who had apparently undergone something similar to what a guy named Simon Williams had done in Marvel Comics as Wonder Man. The next stage had been essentially an evolution, with the character spontaneously altering during an adventure. Third stage had been an attempt by the character to use resources to return to near human status, but he'd been a "Justy Cosmo Police" style Esper. Fourth stage had been on a level with a Herald of Galactus, a return to the original concept and increased power with darker implications.  
  
This was the Fourth Stage version. This was bad.  
  
It was bad because Grey knew things as the player that the character Kestral did not. Kestral had been an experiment by an alien race to infuse one of these extremely adaptable lower lifeforms (humans) with a creature called the Swarm. A race of energy beings that weren't intelligent in the human sense, but possessed of the ability to absorb energy and then make more of themselves from that energy source. Heat, light, sound, the binding forces of matter, magic, and life energy. The Swarm devoured nearly everything that it moved over, so that a life form which existed and bred in the galactic core and developed to face the hazards there had no natural predators or problems outside that area.  
  
If he was Fourth stage this universe had the Swarm. If he was Fourth stage he had a *serious* mess to clean up. And he was in for a mortal lifetime? Kestral's Fourth stage was ageless.  
  
This could *really* be a mess.  
  
Yeah he was. Kestral stopped in mid flight. What was he doing? He had to get to the airport, his fiancee was waiting for him.  
  
That was right. He was here to meet his fiancee by an arranged marriage from his grandpa. Weird, but it got him out of the mess currently stateside. What with the Mutant Registration Act and all, and empowered being mistrusted as much as they were, it was best to go somewhere relatively neutral.  
  
Finding a place to land, Kestral changed clothing quickly. Once he got to the concourse, he started looking around. Not only did he have to find his new fiancee, he'd have to find this local superteam and introduce himself - the Sailor Sun-tea or something like that. Apparently a group of mutants with projective or elemental energy powers. Well, maybe they could get along.  
  
"Grey-san?"  
  
Grey turned and caught sight of an *extremely* cute young lady who attempted to bow and shake hands at the same time. Which confused him as he was four seconds behind her in trying to respond. Finally she settled for shaking hands. She had small, slender, soft hands, he couldn't help but notice.  
  
"How do you do," the girl said in a thick accent. Oddly enough, it was a *British* accent. "I am Minako Aino. I am pleased to meet you."  
  
=========  
  
End file.  
End labors.  



End file.
